New Delhi: Five people were killed and 12 were reported injured after a structure collapsed inside the Humayun’s Tomb complex in Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin area on Friday with several people feared trapped.
According to officials, 11 people were safely evacuated from the debris and admitted to a nearby hospital. Rescue operations are still underway as some people are feared to be trapped. NDRF personnel are conducting a search operation, police and Fire Department personnel are also present.
The injured have been sent to different hospitals, including AIIMS Trauma and LNJP.
Authorities have confirmed that the incident did not involve the main dome of the 16th-century monument but a smaller room within its premises.
"There has been no damage in 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 (AKTC), the organisation behind the restoration of Humayun's Tomb, said speaking to news agency PTI.
Multiple rescue agencies, including the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), Delhi Police, NDRF and Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), swung into action following the incident.
A call regarding a portion of a dome falling was received around 4.30 pm, a Delhi Fire Services official was qouted saying by news agency PTI.
Reportedly, there were 15-20 people inside the building, including the imam, when the roofcollapsed. The roof is believed to be around 25-30 years old.
Humayun's tomb is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a major tourist attraction in New Delhi.
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.
