Red Fort Live Updates: Multiple causalities reported in car explosion; High alert in NCR

At least eight people were killed and 24 others injured in a powerful car explosion near the Red Fort Metro Station in Delhi on Monday evening, officials said. The blast, which occurred near Gate Number 1 of the metro station, also triggered a fire that engulfed three to four nearby vehicles, according to the Delhi Fire Department.

The injured were rushed to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital, where Medical Superintendent Dr. Suresh Kumar told ANI that “Eight of them died before reaching the hospital. Three are seriously injured, and one is in stable condition.”

Following the explosion, a high alert was declared across the national capital. Multiple teams of the Delhi Police, including the Special Cell, reached the site soon after the incident. A total of seven fire tenders were deployed to control the flames.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer A.K. Malik said that the department received information about the blast near Chandni Chowk Metro Station, and fire units were dispatched immediately. “Seven units were sent to the spot. The fire was brought under control by 7:29 PM. There is a possibility of casualties. All our teams are still on site,” Malik told ANI.

Videos shared by the Chandni Chowk Traders’ Association showed the magnitude of the blast. A body could be seen lying on a vehicle. Another video showed a body lying on the road. Eyewitnesses said body parts could be seen scattered near the blast site.

A high alert has been sounded in Delhi. Ten fire tenders were rushed to the spot with police cordoning off the area, the Delhi Fire Services said. The fire, officials said, was brought under control by 7.29 pm.

“Six cars, two erickshaws and one autorickshaw were gutted in the fire,” said a fire department official.

A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) reached the spot.

The blast was so powerful that it shattered the windows of vehicles parked several metres away. The sound was heard at ITO a few kilometres away.

“The blast occurred in a car parked near Red Fort metro station gate number 1. The intensity was quite high. Injuries are feared,” said a senior official of Delhi Fire Service.

Visuals of the incident showed plumes of fire billowing from the burning cars.

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Panic gripped the area as several vehicles were seen damaged at the spot following the loud explosion.

An injured eyewitness, who suffered a wound on his forehead, said the explosion appeared to have originated from a car, probably a Swift.

“There was a Swift car in front of my auto. There was something in that car that suddenly blasted,” he said.

Another witness said, “I was at the gurdwara when I heard a strong sound. We couldn’t make out what it was, it was that loud.”

“A number of vehicles nearby were completely damaged,” he added.

Sanjay Bhargaw, president of the Chandni Chowk Traders Association, whose shop is about 800 metres away from the incident site, said the entire building shook due to the blast.

There was chaos in the market as people started running, he shared.

The blast came hours after the recovery of around 360 kg of suspected ammonium nitrate and a cache of arms and ammunition from a Kashmiri doctor’s rented accommodation in nearby Faridabad

Haryana Police, in coordination with their Jammu and Kashmir counterparts, arrested Dr Muzammil Ganaie from Faridabad’s Dhauj area recovered explosive materials, weapons, and timers from his rented house.

Eight people, including three doctors, were arrested and 2,900 kg of explosives seized with the uncovering of a “white collar” terror module involving the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and spanning Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

Among those arrested following a 15-day operation were Kashmir’s Dr Ganaie in Faridabad and Dr Shaheen, a woman doctor from Lucknow, who was taken by air to Srinagar for custodial interrogation, officials said. An AK-47 rifle was found in her car.

(With inputs from agencies)