“I rushed out with my children and saw several vehicles on fire, body parts all over,” said Om Prakash Gupta, a witness living close to the scene of a deadly car explosion in Delhi. His harrowing account was one of several that painted a gruesome picture of the blast’s aftermath, which left eight people dead and 19 injured near the Red Fort on Monday night. Gupta told reporters he also saw one body lodged on the windscreen of a car.
The explosion was described by multiple witnesses as incredibly powerful. One person told a news channel that the force of the blast sent shock waves through nearby buildings. “One person’s body was torn into pieces. I saw a hand on the road,” he said, adding, “It was a very strong explosion.” This intensity was reflected in the widespread destruction, which included more than a dozen burnt-out cars, rickshaws, and motorcycles.
Another witness, a cab driver named Shahrukh, recounted the moment of the blast. He said he heard a loud explosion, and his first instinct was to flee. “I came out of the car and started running along with others on the road,” he said, describing the panic that instantly gripped the crowded street. News footage from the scene confirmed this chaos, showing mangled bodies and people screaming.
The incident occurred just before 7 pm when a car, which had stopped at a red light outside the Red Fort metro station, suddenly exploded. Police Commissioner Satish Golcha confirmed the details, stating the explosion in the primary vehicle set off a chain reaction of damage and fire. Dozens of emergency vehicles, including fire engines and ambulances, rushed to the site to contain the blaze and attend to the victims.
The injured were taken to a government hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, India’s leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, are monitoring the situation. The investigation is in its early stages, with officials stating that the cause is not yet known and all possibilities are being explored.