A peripheral structure under construction near Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi’s Nizamuddin collapsed on Friday, injuring at least 12 people.
Ten to twelve victims were rescued and taken to hospitals; rescue teams from DFS, NDRF, police, and DDMA were deployed.
Officials said the main monument was not damaged; preliminary checks suggest recent rains may have weakened the structure.
A structure under construction near Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area collapsed on Friday afternoon, injuring at least 12 people. Officials said the incident took place within the monument complex but did not involve the main dome of the 16th-century mausoleum.
According to Delhi Police, a call was received at 3:55 pm about the collapse. Ten to twelve people were rescued from the debris and taken to hospitals including AIIMS Trauma Centre and Lok Nayak Hospital. Multiple rescue agencies, including the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Police and the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), were deployed to the site.
“The Station House Officer and local staff reached there within five minutes and started the rescue. Some time later, fire personnel and CATS ambulances also reached the spot. NDRF also joined the rescue efforts,” a senior police officer said.
DFS Additional Divisional Officer Virendra Singh said: “In the Humayun complex, there were two small rooms with semi-permanent structures that collapsed. Around 8–10 people were trapped inside, who have been rescued. Some people are saying that a few others might still be trapped, so the search is continuing. My team is working there. This is the only update. For more details, you can speak to the shift in charge.”
The shift in-charge confirmed, “We have rescued the trapped people and sent them to the hospital. Beyond this, we cannot provide you with any further information.”
Initially, fire officials had reported receiving a call at around 4:30 pm about the collapse of part of a dome, prompting the dispatch of five fire tenders. Authorities later clarified that the affected area was a smaller room within the complex’s peripheral structure.
“There has been no damage in Humayun’s 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,” said Ratish Nanda, conservation architect at the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, which has been involved in the restoration of the monument in partnership with the Archaeological Survey of India.
Officials said the cause of the collapse is yet to be determined, but preliminary checks suggest possible structural weakening due to recent rains.
Delhi Traffic Police kept hospital routes clear to facilitate the movement of ambulances. Rescue operations were ongoing at the time of filing this report.
(With inputs from PTI)
