Modi vows to punish those behind blast

NEW DELHI — Indian police are investigating a deadly car blast in the capital under a law used to fight "terrorism", an officer said on Tuesday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to bring to justice all those responsible.

The explosion near the Red Fort on Monday evening killed at least eight people and injured 20. It was the first such blast in the heavily guarded city of more than 30 million since 2011.

"Today, I have come to Bhutan with a very heavy heart," Modi said in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, as he arrived on Tuesday for a scheduled visit. "All those responsible will be brought to justice."

Deputy Commissioner of Police Raja Banthia said the Delhi police had registered a case under the anti-terrorism law as well as the Explosives Act and other criminal laws.

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 had 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.

The Delhi Metro said the Red Fort station had been shut for security reasons.

Police said a slow-moving car, which stopped at a traffic signal, exploded just before 7 pm. There was no immediate information on the occupants of the car, who were presumed to have been killed.

Relatives of the victims gathered outside the nearby Lok Nayak Hospital to identify the bodies of their loved ones.

China expressed condolences to the victims of the explosion, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.

"We are shocked by this incident, and express our condolences to the victims," spokesman Lin Jian told a news briefing.

Agencies - Xinhua