Delhi on high alert after blast near Red Fort; vehicle identified as Haryana-registered Hyundai i20

NEW DELHI: Initial findings suggests that the car involved in this evening’s explosion in the national capital was registered in Haryana. Thirteen people were killed and more than twenty others were injured in the blast, which took place near the Lal Qila Metro Station. Several vehicles at the site were destroyed in the fire that followed.

“A car that came at a very slow speed stopped at the traffic signal and then exploded. Many people died in the blast. A detailed investigation is underway. The situation is being closely monitored,” Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha said, quoting Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The fire caused by the explosion was brought under control only by 7:29 p.m., according to Deputy Chief Fire Officer A.K. Malik.

Delhi Police said the blast occurred in a Hyundai i20 hatchback. However, eyewitnesses claim that the first car that exploded was a Maruti Swift Dzire.

Several people were inside the car, and the explosion occurred at the rear portion of the vehicle. Experts from the National Investigation Agency, India’s top anti-terror agency, along with forensic specialists, have reached the spot. Efforts are underway to identify the car’s make, model, and registration number.