Minaret collapses inside Taj Mahal's premises as heavy rains lash Uttar Pradesh's Agra; weather expected to normalise by 13 April

A pillar on the premises of Taj Mahal collapsed on Wednesday night after heavy rain and strong winds lashed Uttar Pradesh's Agra, reports said. No casualties were reported.The 12-feet minaret on the southern entry gate, referred to as Darwaza-e-Rauza, fell as wind speed during the heavy rains crossed 130-kilometre per hour on Wednesday, The Times of India said. However, while few reports suggested that the incident occurred around midnight, The Times of India reported that it took place at 7.30 pm and one of the small white domes were hit during the incident.Apart from Uttar Pradesh, pre-monsoon rains have also been reported in many parts of Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana. In Rajasthan, at least twelve people died on Wednesday in rainstorm-caused accidents.According to Skymet Weather, the rains occurred due to the cyclonic circulation which is over North Haryana and adjoining Uttar Pradesh and a trough which was extending up to Assam. On Wednesday, the weather news and forecast service had expected scattered light to moderate rains to continue over the foothills of Uttar Pradesh for 24 hours.The weather is expected to be completely dry by 13 April over Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the report added.In March 2016, a pinnacle of one of the four minarets of the UNESCO World Heritage Site had reportedly fallen off during repair work. However, the Archaeological Survey of India had denied the incident and said that the pinnacle was taken out because of its weak condition.Recently, the authorities had decided to restrict the entry to the 17th-century monument to 40,000 tourists daily and put a three-hour cap on each ticket in a bid to preserve the heritage site.