New Delhi: Atleast eight people have been killed and several injured in a high-intensity blast that ripped through a car parked near the Red Fort on Monday evening, November 10, leaving multiple vehicles in flames and shattering window panes.

The nature of the explosion is not known yet.

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 said.

The blast 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.

Visuals of the incident showed plumes of fire billowing from the burning cars.

Panic gripped the area as several vehicles were seen damaged at the spot following the loud explosion.

“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.

The area has been cordoned off.

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.

Haryana Police, in coordination with their Jammu and Kashmir counterparts, arrested Dr Muzammil from Faridabad’s Dhauj area and recovered explosive materials, weapons, and timers from his rented house.

The accused, a teacher at Al Falah University, was reportedly wanted in a case related to terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed in Srinagar.