New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS): At least nine people were killed and 45 injured in a powerful blast outside the Delhi High Court Wednesday morning, Home Secretary R.K. Singh said.

The blast took place around 10.30 a.m., the peak rush hour, outside Gate No 5 of the high court complex. The gate is usually crowded on weekdays with a long queue of visitors waiting to get inside.

"There are nine dead," Singh told reporters.

"All the injured have been evacuated," the home secretary said.

"This bomb was in a suitcase. We have remains of the suitcase," Singh said.

Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Dharmendra Kumar told reporters that police have "cordoned off the area and are requesting people not to converge here".

Eyewitnesses said the number of injured was closer to 50 or 60.

According to an eyewitness, Bhagwan Das: "The explosion severed the limbs of several people."

This is the second blast targeting the Delhi High Court in four months.

Singh said investigating teams were already at the blast site. "We have the National Investigation Agency team right there. We have people from the forensic laboratories there, we have NSG (National Security Guard) team there to collect evidence."