Car Door Flew 100 Metres Away After Delhi Red Fort Blast

The force of the explosion that killed eight people and injured 24 this evening near Delhi's historic Red Fort was so powerful that the door of a car was flung nearly 100 metres from the blast site, officials said.

The impact shattered nearby windows, scattered debris across the road, and left several vehicles mangled.

Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha told reporters, "Today at 6.52 pm a slow-moving vehicle stopped at the red light. An explosion happened in that vehicle and, due to the explosion, nearby vehicles were also damaged. Some people have died and some have been injured."

"The situation is being monitored. Home Minister (Amit Shah) called us.. " he said.

Eyewitnesses described a "massive fireball" followed by thick black smoke rising over the Red Fort area.

"I saw a huge fireball from my terrace, and came running down to see what happened. The explosion was very loud. My house is near the gurdwara," a resident told NDTV.

Mumbai, Kolkata, Jaipur, Haryana, Hyderabad, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand are on high alert, and so is Bihar, which is set to vote in the second and final round of polling tomorrow. 

"Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the blast in Delhi earlier this evening. May the injured recover at the earliest. Those affected are being assisted by authorities. Reviewed the situation with Home Minister Amit Shah Ji and other officials," wrote PM Modi on social media platform X. 

Delhi Police sources told NDTV the explosion may have happened in a Hyundai i20 car, a hatchback, while eyewitnesses claimed the first car that blew up was a Maruti Swift Dzire.