Blast outside Delhi HC leaves 11 dead, over 60 injured

A powerful bomb blast outside the Delhi high court this morning has left at least 11 persons dead and more than 60 injured. The death toll is likely to rise as many of the injured are in a serious condition.

Both the high court and Parliament have been adjourned for the day. Home minister P Chidambaram told the Lok Sabha soon after the blast that it was clearly a terrorist attack, but there is yet no clue about the perpetrators.

The blast occurred at around 10:15 am in a 'high-security' area with Parliament, the prime minister's office and India Gate in the vicinity. It left a wide crater, an indication of its intensity.

The explosion occurred outside gates No 4 and No 5 of the high court, where up to 200 people were waiting in queue to get passes for entry into the court complex. Most of the injured were evacuated to hospitals in relatively quick time.

Court business is usually heavy on Wednesday, which is listed as a public interest litigation (PIL) day, when the visitors throng the court.

The area was immediately cordoned off by police, as senior officials from various security agencies landed at the site. Police say most of the forensic evidence has been collected before an expected heavy rainfall today, which could turn much of the evidence into slush.