Explosion reported outside CRPF school in Delhi

Security personnel, forensics team arrive at the site after a blast was reported at CRPF school in Rohini. Pic/PTI

A loud explosion near a CRPF school in the in Rohini's Prashant Vihar area on Sunday morning sparked a security alert in the national capital. No one was injured in the blast which initial investigation suggests could have been caused by a crude bomb. Teams from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), National Security Guard (NSG), CRPF and Delhi Police cordoned off the area and forensic teams collected samples from the site to ascertain the cause of the explosion which was reported at around 7.50 am.

Police said the wall of the school, nearby shops and a car were damaged. Security has already been stepped up in Delhi due to the festival season. Plumes of smoke could be seen billowing from the spot in purported videos of the incident. Also, two cars were parked near the explosion site and some two-wheelers passed by seconds before the explosion. Local residents said the explosion was "intense" and there was a foul smell in the area after it.

"FSL, NSG conducted an inspection of the spot and lifted samples. A case vide FIR No. 512/24 u/s 326(g) BNS, 4 Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act & 3 Explosives Act has been registered at PS Prashant Vihar, Rohini," said police. Forensic experts found a suspicious "white powder" at the spot and have sent it to the laboratory for examination. "The white powder could be a mixture of ammonium nitrate and chloride. There was a foul smell of chemicals after the blast. Local residents and police officials who rushed there also felt the same. Our teams are investigating the entire matter," a senior police officer said.

‘Strong vibrations, chemical-like smell'

Residents of Delhi's Rohini woke up to the sound of a loud blast on Sunday morning. Its vibrations were felt in faraway houses, hundreds of metres away, they said. Locals said there was a "chemical-like" smell at the site and thick white smoke everywhere as panic gripped the Paschim Vihar area after the blast happened near a CRPF school.

"It wasn't like a firecracker, the sound was incredibly loud. And for 15-20 minutes, there was just smoke everywhere," said Kiran Sachdeva, a resident of the locality. Another person described the blast as an "earthquake-like" shock. Parents of school-going children, though relieved that it happened on a Sunday, couldn't help but wonder what could have been. "My son studies in class 9 at that (CRPF) school. I couldn't help but be worried about him," said another Paschim Vihar resident.

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