In a shocking turn of events, a massive explosion ripped through a parked car near Gate No. 1 of Delhi’s Red Fort Metro Station on Monday evening, sending shockwaves across the bustling Old Delhi area. At least 8 people have been dead and several others injured, with authorities fearing the death tally to go up. There is no confirmation yet on the cause of the blast.
After the blast, Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh have also been put on high alert.
The terror plot angle has not been ruled out by the police.
The blast was loud enough to be heard from several blocks away and triggered a chain fire that engulfed three nearby vehicles, sparking chaos in one of the most crowded localities of the national capital.
According to officials from the Delhi Fire Department, they received multiple calls about “blast-like sounds” shortly after 6 PM. Within minutes, seven fire tenders and ambulances were rushed to the spot. Videos from the scene show plumes of black smoke billowing into the evening sky as panicked locals fled the area.
Preliminary reports suggest that the explosion originated from a parked car.
The incident comes at a time when security in Delhi is already on high alert following recent intelligence inputs about potential threats to key landmarks. In the past 2 days, several terrorists have been arrested from Kashmir to Faridabad with thousands of kilograms of explosives, likely linked to ISIS and Jaish-e-Mohammad.