People were screaming for help': Delhi car blast witnesses describe scenes of horror

"Few monuments symbolise Delhi's past splendour than its grand, 17th century Red Fort, once the imperial domain of Mughal emperors. The fortress now stands as a museum frozen in time but the surrounding area remains the thriving heart of the Indian capital, where dried fruit and vegetable vendors jostle for space alongside stalls selling clothes, suitcases and shoes. Across the street are the narrow lanes of the famed Chandi Chowk bazaar. By nightfall, the roads are chock-full of rickshaws and loudly honking cars."

"Just before 7pm on Monday, these familiar scenes were ripped apart when a white Hyundai car came to a stop at a red light then exploded with a boom so loud and intense it was felt several kilometres away. The car became an inferno, erupting into flames that went high into the air. The force of the explosion turned the sky momentarily red and set alight nearby cars and rickshaws, many with drivers still inside."

"Rickshaws blew up, body parts of people scattered during the explosion and hardly anyone near the vehicle could be rescued, Mohsin Ali, a worker in the neighbourhood, told the Hindu newspaper. Ali said he had pulled out at least three charred bodies from vehicles and put them on a rickshaw to be quickly taken for medical care. I saw people on the road with their legs split open and injuries to their hands and other body parts, he added."

Delhi's 17th-century Red Fort sits amid bustling markets and narrow lanes of Chandi Chowk, with vendors and rickshaws filling streets during the festival season. Just before 7pm on Monday a white Hyundai stopped at a red light and then exploded with a blast felt kilometres away. The car erupted into flames, igniting nearby vehicles and rickshaws, many with drivers inside. Witnesses described horrific carnage: vehicles ablaze, dismembered bodies scattered, and severely injured people on the road. A local worker pulled out charred bodies and rushed them for medical care. Crowds fled screaming amid the chaos.

Read at www.theguardian.com