‘A Lung Here, A Hand There’: Eyewitnesses Relive the Blood-Soaked Horror of 10/11

A random, busy Monday evening will now forever be associated with the act of terror that shook Delhi on November 10th. The current death toll of the Delhi Red Fort Blast stands at 12, and there are reports of upwards of 30 people being grievously injured. While the constant coverage paints a picture of the dynamic investigations going on, it's the first-hand accounts that truly capture the real impact of the terrifying incident.

“The first thing we saw was someone’s lung lying on the road. We thought it was something random, but then we informed the SHO about it. Then we saw a hand lying around and were absolutely shocked, “ says one bystander.

Another recounts, “We saw the injured being carried away. Some did not have their legs, some their heads, and some were completely covered in blood.”

It is not just the human remains at the scene that rendered the eyewitnesses speechless, but the sheer pandemonium of a loud explosion in the middle of one of the city's most congested and crowded roads is unfathomable.

One witness explains, “While our car was moving, we saw a few cars standing still at the red light. We moved forward slowly after the traffic light turned green, and that is when we heard the blast in a car that was only two cars behind us. We left our car immediately and ran for cover.”

“Around 6.55 PM, our car was moving slowly. The blast was so intense that it shattered the glass of my car, and the broken pieces hit another car next to us. My seat belt came off, and I was blown away by the impact,” says another.

To some, it felt like an earthquake, and one eyewitness revealed that the blast was so loud and intense that he fell to the ground thrice and it seemed like the earth was going to burst.

As with the case with any such tragedy, the nearby hospitals also felt the impact of the horror as dead bodies and injured people started flooding in. One young doctor, who was at the hospital when the people from the blast site were being brought in, says, “There are so many patients inside. At least 10 of them are dead, and there are 30-plus patients injured who are not in a position to recover. We are trying our best to rescue the patients.”

It is not just the innocent bystanders who were affected by the incident due to their proximity to the blast, but also their relatives who ran to the LNJP Hospital late at night to check on their loved ones who had been taken there for treatment from the blast site. A relative of an injured victim expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of clarity being provided by the hospital about the status of those undergoing treatment.

Also Read: Delhi Red Fort Blast: Amit Shah Holds High-Level Security Meet

As security agencies and police from different states consolidate efforts to bring those behind the attack near Delhi’s Red Fort to justice, the lives of those who stood witness to the event or the relatives who had to lose a loved one in the attack,  have been forever altered – all as a result of something that they were neither responsible for nor had any power to prevent.