Car blast kills 10 near popular tourist site
By CNN, November 11, 2025
India’s capital is on edge after a car explosion ripped through a popular Delhi neighbourhood on Monday, November 10, 202, killing at least 10 people and injuring many others.
The blast took place near the city’s iconic Red Fort, also known as the Lal Qila, a 17th-century monument and a symbol of India’s independence. The area, a major tourist hub known for its crowded bazaars and street vendors, was immediately thrown into chaos.
The incident, a rare occurrence for the sprawling metropolis of more than 30 million people, unleashed a scene of devastation in the heart of Delhi.
Footage of the aftermath showed thick, orange flames billowing into the pitch-black sky, vehicles twisted and charred from the blast and victims strewn across the street.
The cause of the blast is not yet known, and the Indian government has yet to say whether the explosion was a deliberate act, with Home Minister Amit Shah saying Monday that authorities are “exploring all possibilities.”
Delhi police are, however, investigating the case under various sections of India’s anti-terror law, North Delhi deputy commissioner of police, Raja Banthia, told CNN. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the relatives of those killed. “May the injured recover at the earliest,” he said in a post on X.
What happened?
Before the explosion, a “slow-moving” vehicle “came to a stop” near a red light around 6:42 p.m. local time, Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha told reporters.
“An explosion occurred in that vehicle. The passengers in the vehicle and people in surrounding vehicles were impacted,” Golcha said.
At least six vehicles and three autorickshaws were set on fire, Reuters reported, citing Delhi’s deputy fire chief.
Police led a sniffer dog at the blast site on Monday. Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Getty Images
Emergency crews then arrived at the scene and extinguished the blaze – after receiving a call at 6:55 p.m. local time, Sumit Kumar, a Delhi fire services official, told CNN. Survivors were taken to a nearby hospital.
Residents recalled hearing a loud bang in the neighbourhood.
“We heard a big sound. Our windows shook,” one resident who did not give a name told Indian broadcaster NDTV, according to Reuters.
An ambulance driver said he could “only find bodies” when they reached the site of the blast.
“The bodies were in parts, and we had to pick different parts and bring them back in the ambulances, and later brought them to the hospital,” he told local news agency ANI.
One man said his nephew, an e-rickshaw driver, died in the blast. His family tried calling him late Monday but couldn’t get through.
“When we came here, we had to identify the body,” he told ANI.
Relatives of the casualties could be seen weeping outside a local hospital.
India on edge
The ripple effect from Monday’s blast has been felt across India.
Airports, railway stations, government buildings and heritage sites across the country have been put on high alert, according to the Central Industrial Security Force, and the Red Fort will remain closed for three days as the investigation continues. The US embassy in New Delhi is advising Americans to avoid the surrounding area as well as large crowds.
The states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, which neighbour Delhi, have also been put on high alert, according to police.
Security arrangements “of important establishments, religious sites, crowded places, and other sensitive points” will be reviewed, Uttar Pradesh police wrote on X. The state, India’s most populous, is home to the Taj Mahal and other major tourist attractions.
Haryana’s head of police, OP Singh, urged residents to “remain calm” and report any “suspicious person or unclaimed object” in a post on X.
The northwestern state of Rajasthan is also on high alert, its police department said on X.
In the financial capital of Mumbai, train stations have been put on high alert, Reuters reported, citing authorities.
Historic monument
The Red Fort stands as one of India’s most significant historical landmarks.
Originally built by Emperor Shah Jahan as the palace-fort of his capital, it served as the main residence of Mughal emperors for nearly 200 years. Located in the heart of Old Delhi, the fort is just a few kilometres from the Parliament of India.
Today, it attracts thousands of daily visitors and holds immense symbolic value for the nation; its ramparts are where Indian prime ministers deliver their annual Independence Day speeches.
Policemen stand guard at the site of an explosion near the historic Red Fort in the old quarters of Delhi, India, on November 11, 2025. Adnan Abidi/Reuters
While Monday’s blast is considered rare, Delhi has experienced blasts in previous decades, in which public areas, such as bus depots and crowded markets, were targeted.
In 2001, India’s parliament was attacked by gunmen, killing more than a dozen people
About 12 people were killed outside the Delhi High Court in a briefcase explosion in 2011.