One Dead as Roof of Indira Gandhi Int’l Airport collapsed

Roof of Indira Gandhi Int’l Airport in New Delhi collapsed due to heavy rains

At least one person has died after the roof of a terminal building at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi partially collapsed due to heavy rains. Several domestic flights were cancelled as a result of the incident.

The collapse occurred in Terminal 1, which is mostly used by low-cost carriers IndiGo and SpiceJet for domestic flights. Authorities evacuated the terminal and cancelled flights until 2pm local time. At least eight people were injured in the collapse in the terminal’s domestic departure area.

Broadcast images showed a taxi crushed under a wrecked metal pillar at the entrance area of the terminal. In addition to the roof, some support beams also collapsed, damaging cars in the pick-up and drop-off area at the terminal.

The airport authority stated that the collapse was caused by ‘heavy rain’ at 5am local time. The Indira Gandhi Int’l Airport area received about 148.5mm of rain over three hours in the early morning, more than the average for all of June, according to India’s weather office.

An inquiry has been ordered into the collapse by the civil aviation minister, K Ram Mohan Naidu. The collapsed roof was part of an older building opened in 2009, while the building inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ‘is on the other side’.

Opposition politicians have criticized the prime minister, accusing him of going on an ‘inauguration spree’ ahead of the polls, which concluded at the beginning of this month. Safety and construction standards in the country remain a concern.

Continue reading: Veteran Actor Bill Cobbs  Dies at 90