8 killed as car explosion rocks historic Red Fort in India’s New Delhi
At least 20 people were injured in the blast, the cause of which was not immediately known. Mumbai was on high security alert on Monday
At least eight people were killed on Monday in a car explosion near the historic Red Fort in a densely populated area of the Indian capital New Delhi, a police spokesman said, a rare blast in the heavily guarded city of more than 30 million people.
The exact cause of the blast is being investigated, said police spokesman Sanjay Tyagi. However, financial capital Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, went on high security alert after the blast, local media reported. Uttar Pradesh borders Delhi.
At least 20 people were injured in the explosion, television channels reported, as ambulances raced to the scene.
Mangled bodies and the wreckage of several cars could be seen on a congested street near a metro station in the old quarter of Delhi as police poured into the area to secure it and push back gathering crowds.
Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha said the blast had happened minutes before 7pm local time.
“A slow-moving vehicle stopped at a red light. An explosion happened in that vehicle and due to the explosion, nearby vehicles were also damaged,” he told reporters.