NEW DELHI (Reuters) -A car exploded near the historic Red Fort in India’s Delhi on Monday, killing eight people and injuring 20, a rare occurrence in recent years in the heavily guarded national capital.
Here’s what we know so far:
WHERE DID THE BLAST TAKE PLACE?
On Monday evening, a slow-moving car exploded at a traffic signal near a metro station across from the Red Fort, a sprawling 17th-century monument.
The densely populated old part of Delhi is surrounded by structures built during the reign of Mughal rulers in Persian and Indian architectural styles.
The area is frequented by thousands of tourists for its monuments and vibrant food, cloth and spice markets.
HOW MANY CASUALTIES?
At least eight people have died and another 20 were injured. Police said the car exploded with a huge impact that also damaged nearby vehicles.
There was no immediate information on the occupants of the car, who were presumed to have been killed.
WHAT ACTION ARE AUTHORITIES TAKING?
There are no indications as to how the blast took place, but Delhi police are probing the incident under a stringent law used to fight “terrorism”.
Officials said investigations were ongoing and forensic teams were examining evidence.
Federal Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday “all angles” were being investigated.
Security was tightened in several parts of the country, with train stations, the financial capital Mumbai and the neighbouring northern state of Uttar Pradesh on high alert.
ARE BLASTS COMMON IN DELHI?
Bus stations and crowded markets in Delhi have been the target of blasts in the 1980s and 1990s. Some blasts also occurred during the 2000s. They were all blamed on Islamist militants or Sikh separatists.
In 2011, a powerful bomb placed in a briefcase outside the Delhi High Court killed 12 people and injured dozens.
(Compiled by Tanvi Mehta; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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