Police have confirmed that eight people have been killed after an explosion near the Red Fort landmark in Delhi
Thousands of tourists visit the 17th Century Red Fort every day, which lies just a few meters from a busy trading hub
Police say they have not yet found what caused the blast
Details are still coming through to us slowly, but we have got some more images from the scene.
Image source, REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Image source, REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Image source, REUTERS/StringerCharlotte Scarr
BBC News Delhi
City police spokesperson, Sanjay Tyagi, has just confirmed over the phone that eight people have died.
He says that they are still investigating the cause.
Soutik Biswas
India Correspondent
A explosion in a car near Delhi’s landmark Red Fort, which has reportedly killed at least eight people, has put the capital and neighbouring states on high alert.
The cause is still being investigated, but the scale and location of the blast have revived fears of the urban bombings that scarred India in the mid-2000s.
The last major attacks in Delhi took place in September 2008, when a series of bombs tore through busy markets in two separate incidents, killing around 20 people. Those and similar blasts in Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Bangalore that year were blamed on Islamist militant groups and a shadowy students' group.
Those and similar blasts in Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Bangalore that year were blamed on the Indian Mujahideen – a home-grown militant network of radicalised young Indian Muslims.
It was a grim year. Reporting for the BBC that September, I wrote: "Such days are becoming increasingly common in the lives of Indians. Since October 2005, more than 400 people have been killed in bomb attacks across Indian cities."
Since the 2008 Mumbai attacks later that year, which left 166 dead, India has largely been spared mass-casualty bombings in its cities.
This evening's blast will trigger unease and a sweeping security response across the capital.
Whether accidental or deliberate, the explosion is a stark reminder of a more violent decade when bombings were a recurring urban fear.
Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha has told reporters that the incident happened at around 18:52 local time (13:52 GMT), when a slow-moving vehicle stopped at a red light before it exploded, damaging nearby vehicles.
"Some people have died, and some have been injured," he says, without confirming numbers.
The situation is being monitored, he added, and the emergency services are in touch with the government.
Vikas Pandey
India editor, reporting from Delhi
The iconic Red Fort is a high-profile landmark in Delhi.
Thousands of tourists, both domestic and foreign, visit the 17th Century monument every day.
It's less than five miles from Indian parliament and just a few meters away from the extremely busy trading hub of Chandani Chowk area.
It's also the same monument from where Indian prime ministers give their Independence Day speeches every year on 15 August.
For these reasons, the Red Fort is one of the most recognisable monuments in India.
And that is why the news of a blast near the monument has shocked many.
Charlotte Scarr
BBC News Delhi
I have just spoken to the city police spokesperson who Reuters quoted.
He is unable to confirm casualty figures as they are still trying to verify these with the hospitals in the area.
In terms of cause they are still "exploring all possibilities".
Two videos from the scene have now been confirmed as authentic by BBC Verify.
One shows a fire on the Netaji Subhash Marg road, filmed at the junction with Chandni Chowk Road.
Another shows the fire much closer up, briefly showing the underground entrance to Lal Quila (Red Fort) metro station, and shows the wreckage beside the police post across the road from it.
We're now seeing some pictures from the scene.
Image source, RAJAT GUPTA/EPA/Shutterstock
Image source, RAJAT GUPTA/EPA/ShutterstockThe exact details of the cause of the explosion are still being ascertained, the police spokesperson says, according to Reuters.
At least six vehicles and three auto-rickshaws were caught in the fire, Delhi's deputy fire chief is quoted as saying.
TV channels are reporting at least 11 people have been injured.
At least eight people have died in the blast, Reuters news agency quotes a police spokesperson as saying.
The explosion was in a car in the densely populated Red Fort area, it reports the spokesperson as saying.
According to Indian TV channels, a high alert has been declared in the capital as well as in Mumbai.
There are reports of multiple casualties in the Indian capital of Delhi after an explosion near a metro station.