‘Car in front of me exploded’: Injured auto driver describes terrifying Red Fort blast | WATCH

New Delhi: A high-intensity blast ripped through a car parked near the Red Fort on Monday evening, setting nearby vehicles ablaze and leaving at least eight people dead and several others injured, officials said. Eyewitness Zeeshan, an auto driver who was injured in the explosion, said the blast came from a Swift Dzire car parked just ahead of him.

“The car in front of me was about two feet away. I don’t know whether there was a bomb in it or something else, but it exploded. It was a Swift Dzire car,” he recalled.

Police sounded a high alert in Delhi. Seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot with police cordoning off the area, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said.

The explosion was so powerful that it shattered windows of vehicles parked several metres away and was heard in nearby buildings of the congested area.

“The blast occurred in a car parked near Red Fort Metro Station gate number 1. The intensity was quite high. Injuries are feared,” said a senior official of Delhi Fire Service.

The anti-terror squad and Delhi Police Special Cell were on the spot to assess the situation.

Visuals of the incident showed plumes of fire billowing from the burning cars. Panic gripped the area that was swarming with a huge crowd of people.

“I was at the gurdwara when I heard a strong sound. We couldn't make out what it was, it was that loud,” said an eyewitness. “A number of vehicles nearby were completely damaged,” he added.

Another resident said the impact was so strong that nearby shops and buildings shook. “I had come here to buy something when I heard a huge blast. The whole shop trembled,” he said. “Several people were injured, and many were being taken away from the spot soon after.”

The blast comes hours after the recovery of around 360 kg of suspected ammonium nitrate and a cache of arms and ammunition from a Kashmiri doctor's rented accommodation in Haryana's Faridabad.

(with inputs form PTI)