5 killed as wall of dargah near Humayun's Tomb in Delhi collapses

Five people were killed and four others injured on Friday evening after a wall of a dargah near the Humayun's Tomb in Delhi's Nizamuddin area collapsed, police said.

Nine injured people were sent to AIIMS Trauma Centre and one was rushed to LNJP Hospital, they said.

"So far, we have learned that five people who were under treatment at AIIMS trauma centre died and others are under treatment. We have cordoned off the area," Joint Commissioner of police Sanjay Kumar Jain told reporters.

He said the people were visiting the dargah for Friday prayers and were sitting inside the room due to rain when the incident took place.

The rescue operation is completed, the police said, adding that 10 to 12 victims were rescued from the debris after a call regarding the incident was received at 3.55 pm.

Multiple rescue agencies, including the Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, NDRF and Delhi Disaster Management Authority, were pressed into service.

"The Station House Officer and local staff reached there in five minutes and started the rescue. Sometime later, fire personnel and CATS ambulances also reached the spot. NDRF also joined the rescue efforts," a police officer said.

A senior DFS official had initially said that a call regarding the collapse of a portion of a dome at the tomb was received after which five fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

Authorities clarified that the incident did not involve the main dome of the 16th-century monument but a smaller room within its premises.

Vishal Kumar, an eyewitness, told PTI, "I work at Humayun Tomb. When we heard the noise, my supervisor came running. We called for people and the administration. Slowly, we took out the people who were trapped."

"There were at least 10 to 12 people. The Imam was also there and he is among the injured. I have taken out at least eight to nine people," he said.

A woman eyewitness said, "I was standing outside and was about to enter the room and was just two steps away. As it started raining, everyone went inside to take shelter."

"Just then, the wall collapsed. After that, I started shouting for help, but there was no one around. I kept shouting, and then some people from nearby came and helped us rescue everyone trapped inside," she told PTI.

Humayun's Tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a major tourist attraction in the national capital and is visited daily by hundreds of domestic and foreign visitors.

"There has been no damage to Humayun Tomb. A new structure was being built near the Humayun Tomb, its portion has collapsed, and some of it also fell onto the walls of the Humayun Tomb," Ratish Nanda, conservation architect at Aga Khan Trust for Culture, the organisation behind the restoration of Humayun's Tomb, said.

The Humayun's Tomb complex has been the site of a long-standing partnership between the Archaeological Survey of India and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.