Sky turned red, buildings shook like a quake: Eyewitnesses recount Red Fort blast

New Delhi: “It was a massive blast, unlike anything I had ever heard. Soon after, people ran helter‑skelter. In the panic, I too fell down,” said Sumit Singh from Ghaziabad, who had come to shop for a wedding near the bustling Chandni Chowk market in Delhi.

“Right after the explosion, there was a huge fireball. The sky turned red. At first, I thought it was a cylinder blast,” he said, adding that the impact was so severe that body parts were strewn across the street.

The incident occurred in front of Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station, a busy spot opposite the road leading to Chandni Chowk and about 1.5 kilometres from Jama Masjid.

“There was complete chaos in the market as people started running. Several fell, and it felt like a stampede,” Singh recalled.

The area is always crowded, especially in the evenings, with people heading to Chandni Chowk market or returning to the metro station and nearby parking lots. With the wedding season underway in North India, footfall has been even heavier due to marriage shopping.

Videos shared by the Chandni Chowk Traders’ Association captured the magnitude of the blast. One clip showed a body on a vehicle, another depicted a victim lying on the road. Eyewitnesses reported scenes of devastation near the site.

Soon after the incident, more than 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot as police cordoned off the area, according to the Delhi Fire Services. Officials said the blaze was brought under control by 7.30 pm.

Six cars, two e‑rickshaws and an autorickshaw were gutted in the fire, with mangled remains of vehicles scattered across the area as forensic teams from the Delhi Police, National Investigation Agency and National Security Guard reached the spot.

The blast was so powerful that it shattered the windows of vehicles parked several metres away, and the sound was heard as far as ITO, a few kilometres away.

“When we came near, we saw the road littered with human remains. No one could figure out what had happened. Several cars were also damaged,” said Mona Dagar, who was returning to the metro after visiting Chandni Chowk.

Soon after the blast, most shops in Chandni Chowk shut down as people rushed towards the metro to return home. The parking area too was crowded, with many trying to leave quickly, said Sanjay Bhargava, president of the Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal (traders’ association).

Buildings shook as if an earthquake had struck, and panic spread through the market.

The Red Fort Metro Station lies on the road connecting Delhi Gate in Central Delhi to Kashmere Gate further north. The Old Delhi Railway Station is roughly 2 km away.