Tears and heartbreak outside LNJP Hospital as families gather to get bodies of Delhi blast victims

There was chaos outside the LNJP Hospital here on Tuesday morning as family members huddled at the gates, either heartbroken after identifying bodies of their kin killed in last evening's blast or holding on to hope while waiting anxiously for word about their loved ones.

The mortuary gates of the hospital remained under tight security, with only authorised personnel allowed entry. Some could be seen pleading with hospital staff for information about missing family members, while many broke down as ambulances kept arriving and departing.

A worker at the LNJP Hospital mortuary, who had completed his early morning shift, described the scenes from the night as "gruesome".

"The bodies that came in were beyond recognition. Some were just lumps of flesh. Many had their internal organs torn apart or missing. It was hard to tell one from another. That's how devastating it was," he told PTI.

One such family was that of Noman. He was among those who died in the blast near Red Fort Metro Station on Monday evening. On Tuesday morning, his family held each other tightly, trying to console one another after identifying his body.

As authorities took away his remains wrapped in a white cloth, the mourning family followed the ambulance quietly. Noman's friend Sonu could not bring himself to enter the mortuary, saying he was not ready to see his friend in such a state.

Since morning, most of the bodies have been handed over to relatives who managed to identify them.

One family sat in an e-rickshaw, weeping as they followed an ambulance carrying the body of their loved one, holding and comforting each other.

The death toll in the high-intensity explosion that ripped through a slow-moving car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station on Monday evening has risen to 12.

The bodies were taken to the Delhi government-run LNJP Hospital that has remained under tight security, with the emergency ward completely sealed and entry barred.

On Tuesday morning, patients arriving at the hospital were redirected to other blocks, while security personnel stationed at the gates firmly turned away anyone attempting to enter the emergency and casualty wards. Many gates of the hospital were also closed, with people being asked to use alternative entry points.

One of the patients, standing near gate number four, told PTI that they have been asked to take a long detour to enter the hospital from another side. "The gates are closed, and they told us to go from the other side," the patient said.

Anita Gupta, whose mother is undergoing treatment at the hospital, expressed frustration over the restrictions. "We reached here and found the gates locked. Now we have to take a long U-turn to enter from another gate. Outside the wards, security guards are asking everyone to leave and denying entry even to patients and their attendants," she said.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena also arrived at the hospital on Tuesday morning to inspect the situation.