Car moving slowly near red light, then exploded: What we know so far of Delhi blast

A blast in New Delhi has left several dead and two dozen injured.

The explosion, which occurred inside a car near the Lal Qila metro station gate opposite Red Fort, led to panic in the national capital. Multiple fire engines have been rushed to the spot to douse the blaze, which had spread to two other cars.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been briefed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the blast.

But what happened? What do we know so far?

Let’s take a closer look.

What we know

• At least eight people are dead and two dozen injured after a blast opposite the Red Fort. The incident occurred around 6:30 pm and the call to the authorities was made around 6:55 pm.

• Nearly two dozen fire engines have been rushed to the spot, near Gauri Shankar Mandir, which has been cordoned off.

• The national capital has been set on high alert. Teams from the Anti-Terror Squad and Delhi Police are on the spot to assess the situation. The elite NSG commandos are on the way.

• Visuals of the incident showed massive plumes of smoke rising from the multiple cars that were ablaze.
  A van was seen with its doors blown off, another car was completely destroyed and an injured man was seen on the ground.

• A crowd that had gathered in the area seemed on the verge of panic.

• Several people have been taken to the nearby LNJP Hospital in the aftermath of the incident.

• The cause of the blast, whether an accident or a terror attack, remains unknown.

• It was so powerful that it was heard from afar and windows of buildings shook. Tremors could be felt as far as 700 to 900 metres away.

• Authorities have said that metro services continue to run as normal.

‘Intensity was quite high’

The Delhi Police chief has said the blast occurred in a slow-moving car at 6.52 pm near a traffic signal at Red Fort. Deputy Fire Officer AK Malik said the blaze  was brought under control by 7.29 pm. “Six cars, two e-rickshawst and one autorickshaw were gutted in the fire,” said a fire department official.

A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) reached the spot. The blast was so powerful that it shattered the windows of vehicles parked several metres away. The sound was heard at ITO a few kilometres away.

“The blast occurred in a car parked near Red Fort metro station gate number 1. The intensity was quite high. Injuries are feared,” said a senior official of Delhi Fire Service. An injured eyewitness, who suffered a wound on his forehead, said the explosion appeared to have originated from a car, probably a Swift.

“There was a Swift car in front of my auto. There was something in that car that suddenly blasted,” he said. Another witness said, “I was at the gurdwara when I heard a strong sound. We couldn’t make out what it was, it was that loud.” “A number of vehicles nearby were completely damaged,” he added.

Sanjay Bhargaw, president of the Chandni Chowk Traders Association, whose shop is about 800 metres away from the incident, said the entire building shook due to the blast. There was chaos in the market as people started running, he shared.

The blast came hours after the recovery of around 350 kilos of suspected ammonium nitrate and a cache of arms and ammunition from a Kashmiri doctor’s rented accommodation in nearby Faridabad

Haryana Police, in coordination with their Jammu and Kashmir counterparts, arrested Dr Muzammil Ganaie from Faridabad’s Dhauj area recovered explosive materials, weapons, and timers from his rented house.

Eight people, including three doctors, were arrested and 2,900 kg of explosives seized with the uncovering of a “white collar” terror module involving the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and spanning Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

Among those arrested following a 15-day operation were Kashmir’s Dr Ganaie in Faridabad and Dr Shaheen, a woman doctor from Lucknow, who was taken by air to Srinagar for custodial interrogation, officials said. An AK-47 rifle was found in her car.

Ammonium nitrate, which is manufactured in large industrial quantities, can be used to make both fertilisers and explosives. When combined with fuel, it can produce a cheap and powerful explosive mixture. The compound is manufactured worldwide and is relatively inexpensive to obtain.

Ammonium nitrate has also been used in several terrorist attacks — most notably the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Timothy McVeigh, who carried out the attack, used around two tonnes of ammonium nitrate to make a bomb that destroyed a federal building and killed 168 people.

With inputs from agencies