A blast occurred in a parked car near Red Fort here on Monday evening, prompting authorities to rush five fire tenders to the spot, an official said.
Initial reports say at least eight cars caught fire after the explosion, the cause of which is being investigated.
At least eight people has died and 24 others have been injured, reported PTI.
After the explosion, a high alert has been sounded in the capital. Injuries are feared in the blast, reported news agency PTI. The injured, multiple in numbers, were rushed to the LNJP hospital, sources told ANI.
Delhi Fire Services received a call regarding the explosion near Lal Qila Metro Station. "Nearby cars have also been affected," the official added. The call was received at 7:05 pm.
“A call was received regarding an explosion in a car near Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station, after which three to four vehicles also caught fire and sustained damage,” the Delhi fire department (DFS) said in a statement.
According to an ANI report, the blast occurred in a car near gate number 1 of the Metro station, after which three to four vehicles also caught fire and sustained damage.
Visuals showed a huge crowd around the site with multiple vehicles on fire. Another video showed a van with its doors blown off, a completely mangled car, another with a smashed windscreen and an injured man on the ground.
The nature of the blast is not known yet.
Around 20 fire engines were dispatched to the scene, and the police have cordoned off the entire area. Normal traffic in the area has also been restricted. Further details are awaited.
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Forensic and technical experts are rushing to the scene to determine the nature of the blast.
"I saw the flames from my house and then came down to see what had happened. There was a loud explosion. I live nearby," said local resident Rajdhar Pandey told news agency ANI.
“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.”
Lal Qila or Red Fort in Old Delhi, from the days when the Mughals ruled, also known as the walled city, is one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in the national capital. Being a major tourist attraction apart, the narrow lanes of Red Fort, Chandni Chowk with the grand Jama Masjid is teeming with shops, their owners, employees and buyers at any time of the day.
This comes on a day when Jammu and Kashmir police, in coordination with other agencies, busted a terror module involving the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and spanning Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier in the day 350 kg of explosives and several arms and ammunition were seized from a rented accommodation, 2,563 kg of suspected explosives were recovered from another house in Haryana's Faridabad.
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