Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has reached Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital in Delhi after at least eight people have been killed and 24 injured in a blast near Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station. The injured are undergoing treatment at the LNJP hospital.
HM Shah also held a meeting with Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha and other officials at the Lok Nayak Hospital.
The forensic team has arrived at the spot following the blast near Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station in Delhi. . All eight died before reaching the hospital. The area has been cordoned off and there is heavy police presence at the spot.
"Today at around 6.52 pm, a slow-moving vehicle stopped at the red light. An explosion happened in that vehicle, and due to the explosion, nearby vehicles were also damaged. All agencies, FSL, NIA, are here... Some people have died, and some have been injured in the incident," Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
"The situation is being monitored. The Home Minister has also called us, and information is being shared with him from time to time," he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took stock of the situation in the wake of the blast in Delhi and spoke to Home Minister Amit Shah.
A team of Delhi Police Crime Branch also rushed to the spot.
Apart from Delhi, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh and Kolkata have also been put under high alert following the incident in the national capital.
Visuals from the spot have surfaced on social media, showing massive flames erupting as a crowd gathered to watch vehicles being gutted by fire. According to eyewitnesses, the explosion was so powerful that glass windows of nearby shops shattered from the impact. After the explosion, a suspicious object was found lying near a shop.
Eye-witnesses said they were shocked at seeing the loss of lives and body parts.
