(MENAFN- Gulf Times) At least eight people were killed in a car explosion near the historic Red Fort in a densely populated area of the Indian capital Delhi Monday, a police spokesperson said, a rare blast in the heavily guarded city of more than 30mn people.
The exact cause of the blast is being investigated, said the police spokesperson, Sanjay Tyagi. However, India's financial capital of Mumbai as well as its most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, which borders Delhi, went on high security alert after the blast, local media reported.
At least 20 people were injured in the explosion, TV channels reported, as ambulances raced to the scene.
Mangled bodies and the wreckage of several cars could be seen on a congested street near a metro station in the old quarter of Delhi, as police poured into the area to secure it and push back gathering crowds.
Delhi Police commissioner Satish Golcha said the blast had occurred minutes before 7pm (1330GMT).
"A slow-moving vehicle stopped at a red light. An explosion happened in that vehicle, and due to the explosion, nearby vehicles were also damaged," he told reporters.
Federal and state investigative agencies are at the site and federal Home Minister Amit Shah has been briefed about the incident, Golcha added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to those who had lost loved ones.
"May the injured recover at the earliest. Those affected are being assisted by authorities," Modi posted on X, adding that he had reviewed the situation with Shah and other officials.
At least six vehicles and three auto-rickshaws caught fire, Delhi's deputy fire chief said later, adding that the flames had been doused by firefighting teams.
"I was at the metro station, going down the stairs, when I heard an explosion. I turned around and saw a fire. People started running," Suman Mishra, whose husband owns a hotel in a nearby area, said.
Wali Ur Rehman said he was sitting at his shop when he heard a loud explosion. "I fell from the impact of the explosion, it was that intense," he told news agency ANI.
About 30 to 40 ambulances were near the site of the blast and the entire area was cordoned off after the fire was put out, a witness said, adding that he could see remains of mangled cars and crowds milling around car explosion Red Fort Delhi

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