Ruptured Lungs, Broken Bones: What Delhi Blast Victims' Post-Mortem Revealed

The victims of the blast near Delhi's Red Fort Metro Station on Monday evening majorly suffered ruptured eardrums and lungs - indicating the explosion occurred at a very close range, forensic experts of the Maulana Azad Medical College revealed. According to the post-mortem report, some of the victims showed signs of damage in the lungs, ears, intestines, and abdomen, indicating that the blast occurred at a very close range.

The injuries were witnessed mainly on the upper body, head, and chest, experts said.

Nine people died while 20 others suffered injuries. Disturbing visuals showed mangled bodies on the ground and severed body parts. Of the nine people, some died on the spot, and some with severe blast injuries and excessive bleeding died while undergoing treatment at the hospital, experts said. Six of the victims have been identified, and the bodies were handed over to their families.

A cross-injury pattern was observed on the bodies of some of the victims, the experts said. A cross-injury pattern means that people collided with a wall or the ground due to the impact of the blast. This resulted in broken bones and head injuries in many of the bodies, they said.

Experts said no fragments of conventional explosives were found either on the bodies or their clothing.

Preliminary investigations indicate that a new or modified explosive material may have been used in the blast.

An official from the Forensic Science Laboratory said that apart from ammonium nitrate, high-grade explosives were also used in the blast. Over 40 samples, including two cartridges, live ammunition, and explosives, have been collected by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team from the blast site.

"One of the explosive samples appears to be ammonium nitrate. The second explosive sample is believed to be more powerful than ammonium nitrate. Its exact composition will be confirmed after a detailed forensic examination," an official said.

The blast took place at 6.52 pm on Monday - on a day when 2,900 kg of explosives were found just 50 km from the capital, in neighbouring Haryana's Faridabad. Sources said that Dr Umar Mohammad, the suspected suicide bomber, reportedly panicked and triggered the blast near the Red Fort after investigators arrested two key members of the module - Dr Muzammil Shakeel and Dr Adil Rather - and seized the explosives, the sources said.

An initial assessment of the blast site also indicated the suspects may have panicked and made a mistake while carrying the explosives, top intelligence sources told NDTV. The suspect appeared to have assembled the improvised explosive device (IED) improperly, due to which the IED had a limited impact, they said.