What to know about the car explosion near New Delhi's historic Red Fort

NEW DELHI -- Authorities successful India were investigating a deadly car blast successful the capital that killed astatine slightest 8 radical and injured respective others, officials said Tuesday.

The detonation connected precocious Monday occurred adjacent to the historical Red Fort successful New Delhi. Officials person not said what caused the blast, but quality bureau Press Trust of India reported that constabulary person registered a lawsuit nether anti-terrorism laws.

Here's what to cognize astir the explosion:

The detonation occurred conscionable earlier 7 p.m. section clip connected Monday evening and is believed to person originated from a Hyundai i20 car that had stopped astatine a postulation signal, Home Minister Amit Shah said. The blast triggered a occurrence that engulfed respective adjacent cars and rickshaws.

“A slow-moving conveyance stopped astatine a reddish light. An detonation happened successful that vehicle, and owed to the explosion, adjacent vehicles were besides damaged,” Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha said.

Photos from the country showed shattered windows, twisted metallic and flames consuming vehicles. The blast near mangled bodies and wrecked cars scattered adjacent the tract arsenic constabulary and investigators cordoned disconnected the country and pushed backmost increasing crowds.

Om Prakash Gupta, who lives nearby, told The Associated Press helium heard the detonation portion successful his house: “I rushed retired with my children and saw respective vehicles connected fire, assemblage parts each over."

Authorities said the injured were being treated astatine a adjacent authorities hospital.

An probe into the origin of the detonation is underway. The National Investigation Agency, India’s national anti-terrorism body, on with forensic experts, is starring the probe.

Home Minister Shah, who visited the site, said “all angles” were being investigated and that information agencies would scope a decision soon. He said footage from cameras successful the country would signifier a cardinal portion of the investigation.

“We are exploring each possibilities and volition behaviour a thorough investigation,” Shah said.

Authorities placed large bid stations crossed India, including successful Mumbai metropolis and successful the bluish authorities of Uttar Pradesh, which borders New Delhi, connected information alert pursuing the explosion, officials said.

The information unit liable for guarding cardinal installations successful the capital, including New Delhi’s planetary airport, metro strategy and large authorities buildings, said its unit had besides been placed connected information alert.

The U.S. Embassy successful New Delhi urged its citizens to debar crowds adjacent the Red Fort and enactment alert successful tourer areas.

A erstwhile imperial palace, the Red Fort is simply a sprawling Mughal-era analyzable and a large tourer attraction successful the Old Delhi conception of the city. Located astir six kilometers (3.7 miles) from Parliament, the 17th-century monument is simply a symbolic location wherever Indian premier ministers present their yearly Independence Day speeches connected Aug. 15.

The country astir Red Fort is typically crowded, serving arsenic a main way to the bustling bazaars of the aged city.

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This communicative has been revised to close that the detonation happened connected Monday evening, not Tuesday.