'Never seen such chaos': Eyewitnesses recall horror of Delhi car blast

A busy road in the bustling street of Chandni Chowk suddenly erupted into chaos after a blast in a moving vehicle, resulting in the death of at least eight people and injuries to many others.

Eyewitnesses said a loud thud was heard from the road and several people were injured. The first responders — local shopkeepers — called the fire services and Delhi Police.

“We have never seen such chaos; body parts were shattered on the road, a hand was lying, fingers were also lying, and people were running to save their lives,” said Ashutosh Sharma, a shopkeeper near the blast site.

Another eyewitness, Shravan, said, “I saw five occupants of the vehicle in which the blast took place gutted by fire in front of my eyes.”

“This is not a normal cylinder blast — the flames were high and a different kind of smell, not of gas, was everywhere,” he added.

“I was saved by just a minute as I had left the Gauri Shankar temple near the blast site,” said Saurav Gupta, who had come to visit the place.

Vishwas Singh, a shopkeeper, said, “I have never heard such a loud explosion in my life. I was sitting on a chair and was shaken by the intensity of the blast.”

A bus was a couple of vehicles behind the car, and the passengers promptly evacuated the vehicle. Kamaruddin, who was travelling by bus, said, “We suddenly heard a loud noise, and flames were seen a couple of meters away from the bus. The situation was like a stampede, and everyone was running to save their lives.”

Police have placed heavy barricading, and several vehicles parked on the roadside are also not being allowed to be taken by locals. Simarjeet Singh said, “My car is parked there, and I am being removed from the site. How will I go home without a vehicle?”

The place receives heavy footfall, especially in the evening when the blast took place. On the opposite side of the road lies the Lajpat Rai market, one of the biggest electronics markets, while the other side has the Gauri Shankar temple.