‘There was blood everywhere’: Delhi residents recount horror of huge car explosion

Monday evening was busy as usual near the Red Fort metro station in India’s capital Delhi when the sound of a loud blast broke through the cacophony on the streets.

An explosion in a car killed at least eight people and injured more than 20. It was so powerful that several vehicles nearby almost melted, and people could hear the blast from kilometres away.

The police are still investigating what caused the blast but the fact that it happened in one of the most secure and busy areas of Delhi has shocked people.

On one side is Chandni Chowk – a busy trading and clothing hub that is busier than usual at this time of the year due to the peak wedding season.

And on the other side is the 17th Century Red Fort which attracts thousands of tourists every day.

Sandwiched between the two is the road where the explosion took place. Within minutes, confusion and alarm spread from the scene to the rest of the city.

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Mohamed Hafiz, who lives less than 200m from the spot, said his house shook and he and others ran out thinking it was an earthquake.

What he saw on the street terrified him: people were running in all directions, cars were on fire, and bodies lay on the road. Some locals were trying to help the injured.

“There was blood everywhere. People were in shock. The scene was too disturbing – I could even see body parts,” he said.

As local media broke the news, fear and panic swept through the city. Police declared a high alert, and neighbouring states quickly followed suit.

As we entered Delhi from the neighbouring suburb of Noida, we could see a long queue of vehicles at the border as policemen searched them one by one.

Everyone – the people in the vehicles and the policemen – looked tense as they all appeared to be in disbelief that something like this had happened in their city for the first time in more than a decade.

Beyond the crossing, most roads were deserted as we drove to Lok Nayak Hospital, where the injured had been taken.

Outside, a large crowd had gathered behind police cordons. Confusion hung in the air as people searched for answers, and fellow journalists speculated about what might have caused the explosion.

Onlookers were mystified and even scared. Rajesh Kumar, who works at a tea shop near the hospital, said he always believed the capital was the safest city in the country.

He said that though the blast had shaken him, he still believed that the security forces would soon find out what caused it.

“My family in Uttar Pradesh [state] told me to leave, they panic easily. I am a little worried and shocked but I don’t think Delhi has suddenly become unsafe,” he said.

Among the crowd were also several people who were looking for missing family members.

One of them was Mohammed Azghar, whose brother was in the area where the blast took place.

“My brother has been missing since the explosion. We haven’t had any contact with him,” he said.

“We’ve searched around Red Fort, Chandni Chowk, everywhere but we can’t find him.”

Mr Azghar said his brother used to drive an electric rickshaw. “The police have confiscated the vehicle, which is fine, we don’t mind that. But at least help us find my brother.

“I just want some news – good or bad.”

After visiting the hospital, we drove to the site of the blast. It was jarring to see the roads empty here, as the area is usually teeming with people late into the night.

There were only security personnel or journalists around. Officials had relaxed restrictions and journalists could go closer to the site.

The scene there told the story of the blast.

There were mangled remains of cars, rickshaws and tuk-tuks. Blood stains could still be seen on the road. Some of the vehicles were charred beyond recognition.

Some locals had also gathered around. They looked visibly shaken and worried about their immediate future.

Ram Singh, who drives a small vehicle to ferry goods from stockrooms to shops in the area, is worried about business being affected.

“I earn daily and I am worried how I might feed my family. I hope a sense of security soon returns. I hope the police will be able to restore trust fairly quickly,” he said.

“And I hope this never happens in our city ever again. We are shaken but we should overcome this.”