NEW DELHI: Eyewitnesses of the explosion described scenes of “complete chaos” as multiple vehicles caught fire and passersby rushed to help victims before emergency teams arrived.The blast occurred outside Gate No 1 of the Metro station around the busy evening hour, when the area was crowded with shoppers and commuters.
Dharmendra, who had come to the area for shopping, was standing a few metres from where the explosion took place. “It is difficult to guess how many bodies there were,” he said. “I pulled out four people from inside a car and picked up two more from the road. Nobody was left alive in the car in which the blast occurred.”
Another witness, Mohsin, said the explosion was “of enormous magnitude. “I have never witnessed anything like that. Multiple vehicles were blown away. I saw around 40 to 50 people being taken into ambulances. Before the authorities arrived, some of us, along with a few police constables, started helping the injured. People were carried in e-rickshaws and auto-rickshaws. The car was completely destroyed, and another vehicle nearby caught fire,” he recounted.
Amit Mudgil, who was close to the blast site, said the impact was so strong that the sky “turned red with smoke”. “People were running and screaming. A body part hit me on my back. I rushed to help carry the bodies and the injured to ambulances,” he said.
Bhupender Singh, who was waiting at a nearby red light, said his car was also damaged in the blast. “I was just a few vehicles behind the one that blew up. It was quite crowded. I saw many dead and wounded. Fearing another explosion, I ran towards Bhagirath Palace,” he said.
A high alert has been sounded in Delhi. Delhi Police’s Special Cell and anti-terror squads cordoned off the area and forensic teams began collecting samples from the wreckage.