‘Sky Turned Red in Seconds’: Eyewitness Recalls Red Fort Blast

New Delhi: “There was a blast, and within seconds the sky turned red,” said Amit Mudgal, 36, still trembling as he recalled the horror.

The explosion near the Red Fort metro station on Monday evening left scenes of devastation and disbelief. Eyewitnesses described mangled bodies on the road, flames shooting into the sky, and people running for cover as smoke filled the area. “I was in my auto when a car in front, a Maruti Swift, I think, suddenly exploded,” said an auto-rickshaw driver with a bleeding forehead. “Everything went up in flames.”

The high-intensity blast ripped through the slow-moving car close to Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort metro station around 6.45 pm, officials said. At least eight people were killed and 24 others injured as several vehicles were gutted. The injured were rushed to LNJP Hospital.

Eyewitnesses said the explosion shattered glass panes of nearby shops and metro station windows. “I was at the gurdwara when we heard the sound, it was so loud that we couldn’t tell what had happened,” said a resident. A shopkeeper nearby said the tremors shook entire buildings.

Manoj, who runs a pani puri stall near Jama Masjid, said he felt the impact over a kilometre away. “We felt the blast in our chests,” he said. “When I reached here, people were screaming, and many lay motionless on the ground.”

Another witness, Bhupinder Singh, said the explosion occurred just as the traffic signal turned green. “We saw two or three bodies blown to pieces,” he said, his voice shaking.

Videos circulating on social media captured the panic, locals shouting “Bomb phat gaya!” as flames engulfed the vehicles.

Ten fire tenders rushed to the site, bringing the blaze under control by 7.29 pm. Delhi Police’s Special Cell and anti-terror squads cordoned off the area, while forensic teams began collecting samples from the wreckage.

A high alert has been sounded across the capital as authorities probe the cause of the blast that turned a busy evening into one of terror and chaos.