Delhi blast: 9 killed in explosion; top cop says slow-moving car burst into flames at traffic signal

NEW DELHI: A high-intensity blast in a parked Hyundai i20 car near the Red Fort Metro Station on Monday evening left at least nine people dead and several vehicles charred. The explosion triggered a fire that quickly spread to nearby cars.The incident occurred near Gate Number 1 of the station, the Delhi Fire Department told news agency ANI.

"Eight of them died before reaching the hospital," Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital's medical superintendent told news agency ANI."Six cars, two e-rickshaws and one autorickshaw were gutted in the fire," said a fire department official told PTI.
After the explosion, a high alert has been sounded in the Capital. The injured, multiple in numbers, were rushed to the LNJP hospital, sources told ANI.A total of 7 fire tenders have reached the spot. A team from the Delhi Police Special Cell has also reached the site. The reason behind the explosion is not known yetDelhi Police on Monday detained the owner of a Hyundai i20 car in which an explosion occurred near the Red Fort, an official told news agency PTI. The police have detained the car's owner, identified as Md Salman, in Haryana's Gurugram.

Salman had sold his car to a person in Okhla, the official said, adding that the car was registered in his name and had a Haryana registration number plate.

“Delhi Police along with Gurugram police detained Md Salman on Monday and is questioning him about the car. He had sold it to a person in Okhla named Devendra. Later, the vehicle was again sold to someone in Ambala and police are tracing the people,” a senior police officer told PTI.