South Korean tourist attacked by monkey at Taj Mahal; ambulance arrives an hour later

New DelhiJul 29, 2026 11:57 AM IST A South Korean tourist was injured Tuesday after being attacked by a monkey near the Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra, with social media users raising fresh concerns over visitor safety at one of India’s most popular tourist destinations. The incident took place outside the monument’s Eastern Gate, where the monkey reportedly bit the woman on her hand, leaving her with a deep wound and heavy bleeding.A video that has since gone viral shows the tourist crying out in pain while holding her injured hand. Locals can be seen escorting her towards a nearby dispensary as the person accompanying her repeatedly asks, “Where do we go?” in search of immediate medical help. Watch the video: A monkey attacked a South Korean woman tourist at the Taj Mahal in Agra, biting her on the hand and causing bleeding. The injured tourist reportedly had to wait for nearly an hour for an ambulance while she remained in severe pain. — Her companion asked people, “Where do we go?”… pic.twitter.com/uZgSFblG0V — زماں (@Delhiite_) July 28, 2026 The incident has also sparked criticism over the delay in emergency response. Although the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) informed the health department soon after the attack, an ambulance reportedly failed to reach the spot for nearly an hour, leaving the injured tourist waiting for treatment. She was given first aid at a primary health centre before being shifted to a private hospital in a battery-operated vehicle. Qalandar, Senior Conservation Assistant, said the ASI team rushed to the spot as soon as they were informed of the attack. According to an India Today report, Qalandar said an ambulance was called immediately, but the driver did not arrive for almost an hour. ASI submitted a report to the chief medical officer (CMO) alleging negligence by the ambulance driver.Story continues below this ad ‘Failure of administration’ The incident has once again brought attention to the persistent monkey menace around the Unesco World Heritage Site, with many social media users questioning whether adequate measures are in place to protect tourists. “Then we wonder, why number of International tourists has nosedived,” wrote one user. “Stricter animal regulation must be bought, stray animals are a threat to all. Not all of them are threats, but you cannot selectively choose too,” wrote another individual. “What a failure of administration in such highly visited tourist place. Literally no proper infrastructure for as basic as first aid facility. These are among the many reasons why international tourists stopped visiting our country,” added another user.