Panic & mad scramble for cover following blast: CCTV visuals following blast show

The usual bustle that immerses Chandni Chowk in the peak evening hours gave way to frightening scenes of people scrambling for shelter after a deafening blast in a car rocked the market area on Monday. CCTV visuals of the incident, which emerged late at night, showed people, mostly shoppers, hurriedly strolling along the pavement when they turned back and ran for cover after the blast. 

Elders were seen putting arms around the children as the people stood dazed and turned around to see what happened. Consecutive blasts and sight of vehicles catching fire, rattled the people, and eyewitnesses described to TV channels shocking scenes of people getting badly injured in the blast. The place where the explosion happened is always crowded with closely-packed shops and haphazardly parked vehicles. The rush picks up in the evening with people thronging the market and passengers from the nearby Metro Station adding to the congestion. 

Hindustan Times quoted a police official as saying that the car was being driven on the Chhata Rail Chow before it took a U-turn and moved towards Lower Subhash Marg. It slowed down as it approached a traffic signal and then the explosion happened, according to the report. 

The vehicle moved from the Daryaganj market area and arrived at the parking lot near the Sunehri Masjid at around 4 pm. The blast happened at 6.52 pm.

Investigation at the scene of the explosion continued late into the night as the officials tried to identify the occupants of the car and to examine the substance which resulted in the explosion. The official authorities have not made any statements linking the blast to a terrorist act so far.