Five people were killed and four others injured on Friday after a structure being built near the Humayun's Tomb— a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major tourist attraction—in Delhi's Nizamuddin area collapsed.
"So far, we have learned that five people who were under treatment at AIIMS trauma Centre died and others are still under treatment. We have cordoned off the area," Joint Commissioner of police Sanjay Kumar Jain told reporters.
He said that the people were visiting the dargah for Friday prayers and were sitting inside the room due to rain when the incident took place.
Delhi | 11 people rescued and sent to a nearby hospital, search operation underway, say Police. https://t.co/tj8EiIKQBE
— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2025
The rescue operation is completed, the police said, adding a total of 10 to 12 victims were rescued from the debris after a call regarding the incident was received at 3.55 PM.
A senior DFS official had initially said a call regarding the collapse of a portion of a dome at the tomb was received, following which five fire tenders were rushed to the spot immediately.
Authorities clarified that the incident did not involve the main dome of the 16th-century monument but a smaller room within its premises.
Initial information suggested that eight to nine people were feared trapped under the debris, but subsequent rescue efforts led to at least 11 people being pulled out.
Officials said the area where the collapse occurred was part of the peripheral structure and not the central mausoleum. The cause of the collapse is yet to be ascertained, but preliminary checks suggest possible structural weakening due to recent rains.
"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, reported PTI.
