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Topic:Accidents and Emergency Incidents
Police in India are investigating whether a car explosion near the historic Red Fort was a terror attack.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to bring those responsible to justice.
Investigators continued to work at the site of the incident on Tuesday.
India's anti-terror force is leading the investigation into a deadly car explosion in the heart of the capital Delhi, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi vows to bring those responsible to justice.
Police are yet to give exact details of what caused the incident near the historic Red Fort, one of India's most well-known landmarks, and the site of the prime minister's annual Independence Day speech.
The blast killed at least eight people, and injured 19 others on Monday, when flames ripped through several vehicles.
It was the first significant security incident since a shooting attack in late April that left 26 mainly Hindu civilians dead at the tourist site of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, triggering clashes with Pakistan.
"I assure everyone that the agencies will get to the bottom of the entire conspiracy," Mr Modi said, in a speech during a state visit to neighbouring Bhutan, without giving further details.
"All those involved will be brought to justice."
Indian authorities have stopped short of calling the blast an attack, saying they were awaiting forensic analysis.
On Tuesday, the home affairs ministry said that India's anti-terrorism force, the National Investigation Agency, was leading the probe.
Relatives of victims were wracked with grief as their loved ones were identified. (Reuters: Anushree Fadnavis)
The explosion on Monday came hours after Indian police said they had arrested a gang and seized explosive materials and assault rifles.
Police said the men were linked with Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based Islamist group, and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, a Kashmir offshoot of jihadist group Al-Qaeda.
Both groups are listed as terrorist organisations in India.
Investigators are piecing together what happened after an explosion in a densely populated area of India's capital killed at least eight people.
Home Minister Amit Shah said he had instructed officials "to hunt down each and every culprit behind this incident".
"Everyone involved in this act will face the full wrath of our agencies," he added.
Near the site of the blast in the city's old quarters, a busy market and tourist area, most shops that shut soon after the explosion were yet to open in the early hours of Tuesday.
Forensic experts were seen scouring the site of the blast, which has been sealed since Monday night and enclosed in white cloth barriers.
Delhi Metro said the Red Fort station had been shut for security reasons.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said agencies were carrying out a swift, thorough investigation with the findings to be made public soon.
Relatives of the victims gathered outside the nearby Lok Nayak hospital to identify the bodies of their loved ones.
"We at least know that my cousin is here, whether he is injured or not or the extent of his injury, we don't know anything," said a distressed relative who did not want to be named.
The Red Fort, popularly known as Lal Qila, is a sprawling, 17th-century Mughal-era edifice melding Persian and Indian architectural styles, attracting tourists year-round.
ABC/wires
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