Explosion Near Red Fort in Delhi Leaves 13 Dead
New Delhi: At least eight people were killed when a car exploded near the Lal Quila metro station near the Red Fort in Old Delhi at around 6:52 PM on Monday (November 10). The toll rose to 13 by early November 11.
At least 24 people were injured in the incident, PTI initially reported. The injured were taken to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) hospital, a few kilometres away.
The death toll is reportedly expected to rise due to the severity of the explosion in an area which sees a high footfall on a regular basis. The blast had also damaged a few vehicles near the car that exploded.
New Delhi police commissioner Satish Golcha told reporters that the explosion took place at about 6:52 pm in a “slow-moving car that had approached a red light and stopped” there.
According to PTI, the Delhi Fire Service said that the fire was brought under control by 7:29 PM.
Union home minister Amit Shah after visiting the injured at the LNJP hospital said that eight people had died according to hospital sources.
Asked if the blast is thought to have been terrorist attack, Shah said that its cause is still being ascertained.
“See, we are keeping all angles open and investigating [the blast] from all angles. It is very difficult to say at this point what caused the incident,” he said, adding that the authorities would have to wait until specimens from the site are analysed by forensics personnel.
Police personnel at the site of the blast near the Red Fort on November 10, 2025. Photo: PTI/Salman Ali.
Police in various places in the country are on high alert in light of the incident, per media reports.
Shah also said he would visit the site after leaving the hospital. Home ministry officials were scheduled to have a meeting on Tuesday morning, he said.
Visuals showed plumes of smoke billowing from cars that caught fire following the explosion as panic gripped the area. The blast was reportedly powerful and it shattered the windows of vehicles parked several metres away. The sound was heard at nearby areas, including at ITO, a few kilometres away.
Delhi Police officials are present at the site and investigating the matter. Ambulances and fire services were rushed to attend to the situation.
The site of the incident has been cordoned off in the interest of safety and for the purposes of investigation. Personnel from the Forensic Science Laboratory, the National Investigation Agency and the National Security Guard had arrived at the site, Golcha said.
Speaking to ANI before visiting the LNJP hospital, Shah said he was in touch with the police commissioner as well as the in-charge of the Delhi police's special branch.
At the Lok Nayak Hospital he held a meeting with Golcha and other officials, the news agency reported.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the deaths and said he had reviewed the situation with Shah and other officials.
Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu expressed his sadness over the blast. Envoys from and the embassies in New Delhi of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the UK, France, Australia, Japan, Iran and Egypt also conveyed their sympathies.
In his statement to ANI Shah also said that orders were given to inspect CCTV camera footage from the area surrounding the blast. Earlier on Monday the Hindustan Times reported that the Delhi police had received ‘full access’ to footage recorded by cameras that have been set up by the Delhi government's Public Works Department (PWD) since 2018.
PWD-installed cameras are more numerous than those put up by the Union government-controlled Delhi police and in the past the latter had to approach PWD officials or engineers in order to obtain access to footage from their cameras, the newspaper reported.
An ambulance arrives at the LJNP hospital following the blast. Photo: PTI/Atul Yadav.
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