New Delhi — A car exploded near the historic Red Fort in India’s capital Monday, killing at least eight people, injuring several others and triggering a fire that damaged several vehicles parked nearby, New Delhi police said.
Several fire engines rushed to the scene after the blast was reported near one of the gates of the Red Fort metro station, the city’s fire services said. The cause of the explosion remained unclear.
Sanjay Tyagi, a spokesman for the city’s police force, told The Associated Press that officers were “investigating the cause of the blast.”
Citing authorities at a local hospital, New Delhi’s deputy fire chief AK Malik told the French news agency AFP that at least 19 others were wounded by the blast and ensuing fires.
AFP cited New Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha as saying “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.”
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Formerly an imperial palace, the Red Fort is a major tourist attraction in New Delhi. Local media ran video showing damaged vehicles and a police cordon at the site.
A witness who lives near the site told the NDTV broadcaster that he heard a “window-shattering sound” and then saw flames engulfing multiple vehicles.