A devastating collapse at a centuries-old dargah near Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi claimed six lives and left five injured on Friday afternoon. Locals say the death toll could have been significantly higher had the incident occurred just a few hours earlier during the peak Jumma namaz gathering.

The incident took place around 3:30 PM when a portion of the roof and a wall of two adjacent rooms at the Dargah Shareef Patte Wali gave way. The site, a revered religious landmark nestled behind Humayun’s Tomb and along the route to Sunder Nursery, is frequented by worshippers and tourists alike.

“Had this happened during prayer time, it would have been a much bigger tragedy,” said Rakesh, a local vendor near the tomb. The dargah, which draws devotees from across Delhi and beyond, remains especially crowded on Fridays.

Also Read: Delhi’s Trees Are Dying Under Concrete: Monsoon Tragedy Exposes Urban Blunder!

Witnesses described a scene of sudden chaos. Himanshu Tiwari, a guard at Sunder Nursery, recounted, “We only realized something had gone wrong when ambulances and police vehicles arrived. People told us that a roof had collapsed where some were sheltering from the rain.”

The shrine, believed by some to predate even the 16th-century Humayun’s Tomb it borders, is currently sealed off as authorities investigate the cause of the collapse.

For regular visitors, the tragedy struck a deeply emotional chord. “I’ve been coming here for years from Ghaziabad. Yesterday I had urgent work, or I would have been here,” said a shaken devotee.

The accident has prompted renewed concerns about the maintenance of historical and religious structures in the capital. Officials have cordoned off the damaged area and initiated an inquiry into the structural integrity of the site.

Also Read: Delhi HC to Decide Fate of Kejriwal’s Govt Housing Plea on Aug 25