8 killed, several injured in blast near Red Fort

A high-intensity explosion ripped through a slow-moving car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station on Monday evening, killing at least eight people and gutting several vehicles, officials said.
Twenty-four people were injured in the blast that took place on a busy evening when the area was milling with people. The injured were taken to the LNJP hospital, a few kilometres away.
Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha said the car, in which the blast took place, had some occupants. According to a senior police officer, “The blast occurred in a moving Hyundai i20 car in which three people were sitting. We have not found any pellet or puncture in the body of the injured, which is unusual in a bomb blast. We are investigating all angles.”
Police in Haryana’s Gurugram confirmed the arrest of a Mohd Salman, the original owner of the i20 bearing the number plate HR26 CE 7674. However, Salman told the police he had sold the car – to a man called Tariq, who hails from J&K’s Pulwama. It is unclear at this point if Tariq then re-sold the car to a third party. A high alert has been sounded in Delhi, and security has been beefed up at city border points, with vehicle checking intensified.
Panic gripped the area as fire billowed from burning cars following the explosion. Videos shared by the Chandni Chowk Traders’ Association revealed the magnitude of the blast. A mangled body could be seen lying on a vehicle, while another clip showed a body on the road. Eyewitnesses said body parts could be seen scattered near the blast site. Ten fire tenders were rushed to the spot as police cordoned off the area, the Delhi Fire Services said. The blaze caused by the blast was brought under control by 7.29 pm, officials said.
Golcha told reporters that Union Home Minister Amit Shah is being regularly briefed about the incident.
Shah spoke to the Delhi police chief and the director of the Intelligence Bureau to take stock of the situation. He directed the chiefs of the NSG, NIA and forensic sciences to send expert teams to the blast site to assist the probe and collect evidence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took stock of the situation and expressed condolences over the deaths. No terror outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
Police are scanning CCTV footage to determine the route of the vehicle before the blast occurred.
The blast was so powerful that it shattered the window panes of vehicles parked several metres away.