Several people were injured after an explosion in a car near the Red Fort in Delhi this evening. Three to four vehicles that were near the car also caught fire and sustained damage. “It was a very powerful explosion,” said sources in the Delhi Police.
Visuals showed a huge crowd around the site with multiple vehicles on fire. Another video showed a van with its doors blown off, a completely mangled car, another with a smashed windscreen and an injured man on the ground.
A call was received regarding an explosion in a car near Gate number 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station, the Delhi Fire Department said.
Around 20 fire engines were dispatched to the scene, and the police have cordoned off the entire area. Normal traffic in the area has also been restricted.
The nature of the blast is not known yet.
Forensic and technical experts are rushing to the scene to determine the nature of the blast.
The Red Fort, also known as Lal Qila, is located in the congested Old Delhi area. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Delhi.
“I saw a huge fireball from the terrace of my house. There was a huge sound. The blast shook the windows of the buildings,” said a witness.
Faridabad Explosives Recovery
It comes on the day a huge cache of suspected explosives was recovered from a rented accommodation in Haryana’s Faridabad. The house was rented by Dr Mujammil Shakeel, a doctor from Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama who has emerged as a key link in a “white-collar” terrorist ecosystem involving radicalised professionals.
The ecosystem was busted by police and intelligence agencies during raids at locations across Jammu and Kashmir and Faridabad over the past few days. The joint operation by the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir Police, which has been ongoing over the last 15 days, resulted in the recovery of more than 2,900 kg of bomb-making material.