Monday evening was busy as usual near the Red Fort metro station in India's capital Delhi when the sound of a loud blast broke through the cacophony on the streets.
An explosion in a car killed at least eight people and injured more than 20. It was so powerful that several vehicles nearby almost melted, and people could hear the blast from kilometres away.
The police are still investigating what caused the blast but the fact that it happened in one of the most secure and busy areas of Delhi has shocked people. On one side is Chandni Chowk - a busy trading and clothing hub that is busier than usual at this time of the year due to the peak wedding season.
And on the other side is the 17th Century Red Fort which attracts thousands of tourists every day. Sandwiched between the two is the road where the explosion took place. Within minutes, confusion and alarm spread from the scene to the rest of the city.
Mohamed Hafiz, who lives less than 200m from the spot, said his house shook and he and others ran out thinking it was an earthquake. What he saw on the street terrified him: people were running in all directions, cars were on fire, and bodies lay on the road.
As local media broke the news, fear and panic swept through the city. Police declared a high alert, and neighbouring states quickly followed suit.
As we entered Delhi from the neighbouring suburb of Noida, we could see a long queue of vehicles at the border as policemen searched them one by one. Everyone looked tense as they all appeared to be in disbelief that something like this had happened in their city for the first time in more than a decade.
Beyond the crossing, most roads were deserted. Outside Lok Nayak Hospital, where many of the injured had been taken, a large crowd had gathered behind police cordons amidst confusion.
One family member, Mohammed Azghar, expressed distress over his missing brother who was in the area during the blast. He pleaded for assistance in finding him.
After visiting the hospital, we drove to the site of the blast and found the area eerily quiet, with only security personnel and journalists present. The remnants of the explosion told a grim story, with mangled vehicles and bloodstains marking the scene.
Ram Singh, a local business owner, expressed concern for his family's welfare and called for a restoration of security and normalcy in the city.
The community's determination to heal and unite amidst the tragedy was palpable, as residents vowed to overcome this devastating event together.
