Days After Delhi Blast, Loud Blast-Like Sound Sparks Panic Near Airport

A loud blast-like sound in southwest Delhi's Mahipalpur this morning sparked panic among local residents, with police later clarifying that the source of the sound was a bus tyre burst.

The incident occurred at a time as the Capital is on high alert, after a high-intensity explosion in the heavily crowded Red Fort area on Monday evening claimed 13 lives. 

The tyre burst took place near the Radisson Hotel.

The Delhi Fire Services said they received a call at 9.19 am about a blast-like loud sound heard near Radisson in Mahipalpur. Three fire tenders were rushed to the spot, they said.

Even after extensive checking, the fire brigade and police teams found nothing at the spot.

Also Read | Delhi Blast Suspects Planned Diwali Attack, Aborted It Later: Sources

"The caller was contacted. He said that while he was on the way to Gurugram, a loud noise was heard. We checked everything and nothing was found," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Amit Goel said. 

"During local enquiry, a guard informed us that the rear tyre of a DTC bus going towards Dhaula Kuan had burst and the sound came from that," he added.

The situation is normal and there is nothing to worry, he said.

On Monday evening, a white Hyundai i20 exploded near Red Fort, injuring 20 people.  The impact of the blast was so intense that several nearby vehicles were damaged. The area was immediately thrown into chaos as people scrambled to help the injured. 

Investigators later traced a second vehicle -- a red Ford EcoSport -- to Faridabad. However, a third car, suspected to be a Maruti Brezza, remains untraced.

The DNA test of samples collected from the Red Fort blast site has confirmed that Dr Umar Nabi was driving the car that exploded, sources said. Umar was a key member of a "white collar" terror module busted earlier this week. He hails from Koil village in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama.

The blast came hours after police busted the terror module with links to proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, and arrested eight people, including three doctors.

Around 3,000 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, potassium chlorate and sulphur were seized after police busted the terror module, which spanned across Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Following the blast, the area around the historic monument has been cordoned off, with police and forensic teams conducting searches to gather evidence. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Thursday said that the Lal Quila metro station will remain closed till further notice due to security reasons.