Heavy rain brings Delhi airport roof crashing

Roof of the Delhi airport’s Terminal-1 collapsed on Friday. Pic/PTI

The roof of the canopy at Terminal 1 of Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) collapsed on Friday morning amid heavy rains, resulting in one fatality and injuring eight others. This is the second such incident this week, following the collapse of the canopy roof at Jabalpur's Dumna Airport just a day earlier.

Authorities stated that the incident occurred in the early hours. An insider source from IGI told mid-day, "I was on duty at T2 when around 5 in the morning, there was a distress call on the radio. Paramedics and other stakeholders were rushed to the spot. NDRF was called in."

The collapse at IGI has led to the immediate suspension of all departures from Terminal 1 until further notice. Passengers scheduled to depart from Terminal 1 are being redirected to Terminals 2 and 3, which continue to operate as usual, albeit with a slightly increased passenger load.

The roof collapsed at Jabalpur airport and car was damaged last week. Pic/X

Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, in a press statement, said, "All operations from IGI T1 have been suspended till 2 PM (on June 28). The airlines have been instructed to follow the DGCA guidelines and either accommodate the passengers in other flights or provide a full refund of the fare."

In a statement on X, the Civil Aviation Minister posted, "Personally monitoring the roof collapse incident at T1 Delhi Airport. First responders are working at the site. Also advised the airlines to assist all affected passengers at T1. The injured have been evacuated to hospital. Rescue operations are still ongoing."

Opened in 2009

In response to claims that the building was rushed due to elections, Civil Aviation Minister Naidu clarified, "We are taking this incident seriously. I want to clarify that the building inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi is on the other side, and the building that collapsed here is an old building, opened in 2009."

Parked vehicles damaged by canopy; Pic/PTI; (inset) Cab driver caught under a pillar who lost his life

DGCA has launched an investigation, with initial suspicions being that the heavy rain played a significant role. A senior official from DGCA stated, "We will have the structure examined by experts before reaching any final conclusion. As of now, we suspect the heavy rain to have played a significant role, but it is very premature to conclude anything at the moment."

Delhi airport posted on social media, "Due to heavy rain, a portion of canopy at the old departure forecourt of Delhi airport's Terminal 1 collapsed."

The Delhi Police filed an FIR under sections related to death by negligence.

Was heavy rain the cause?

Independent weather observers in Delhi reported heavy rain at the Safdarjung observatory. An industry expert, said, "There are chances that there were spots which corroded and rain acted as a catalyst. There might be a chance that rain was a cause of the collapse. The structural audit records need to be checked. If abnormalities were reported but went unattended, it is a very grave mistake on all stakeholders involved."

5 AM
Approx. time of the incident

Highest rainfall recorded in 88 years

Delhi recorded 228.1 mm of rainfall on Friday, the highest since 1936 for the month of June, and the weatherman predicted more spells over the weekend in the national capital. Safdarjung Observatory, recorded 228.1 mm of rainfall in 24 hours ending at 8.30 am, more than three times the June rainfall average of 74.1 mm.

Two boys drown in rainwater-filled ditch

Two boys aged eight and 10 years drowned while they were playing in a rainwater-filled ditch in northeast Delhi, police said. The incident took place in a five-foot-deep ditch near Pusta Number Five in New Usmanpur area which got filled with water due to heavy rainfall.

LG orders emergency response

LG V K Saxena took stock of situation after hours-long rain brought the city to a standstill and directed officials to set up an emergency control room and deploy static pumps to address waterlogging reports. Chairing an emergency meeting, LG said that all senior officers on leave should be asked to report back to duty immediately.

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