Railing of Taj Mahal's main mausoleum damaged in thunderstorm

Agra: The iconic Taj Mahal was damaged due to a thunderstorm on Friday, May 29 night at Uttar Pradesh’s Agra district, officials said.

“The marble railing of the main mausoleum and red sandstone railings suffered damage due to thunderstorms,” officials said on Saturday, May 30.

ASI Superintending Archaeologist Basant Kumar Swarnkar said some trees on the premises were uprooted and one door was damaged.

“The false ceiling in the mausoleum was also uprooted,” he said.

“Besides, a tree fell in Mehtab Bagh and Mariam’s Maqbara,” officials said.

In a statement issued in Lucknow on Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the loss of lives due to lightning and thunderstorm in Mainpuri, Agra, Lakhimpur Khiri, and Muzaffarnagar districts.

“Officials have been directed to provide Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased and adequate medical treatment for the injured,” the statement said.

The Weather department has warned of thunderstorm accompanied with lightning and squall at isolated places over the state in the next few days.