Four vehicles, including taxis, got damaged when a part of the roof at Delhi airport’s Terminal-1 collapsed onto them during heavy rainfall.
This morning, due to heavy rain, a portion of the roof at Delhi airport’s Terminal-1 (T1) collapsed onto cars, resulting in the unfortunate death of one person and injuries to six others. As a result, all flights scheduled to depart from the terminal until 2 pm today have been canceled.
Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, confirmed this after inspecting the airport. According to officials, the roof sheet and support beams gave way, causing damage to four cars parked in the pick-up and drop-off area of the terminal.
The incident was promptly reported to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) at around 5.30 am.During the rescue operations, a man was spotted being rescued from a taxi that had been struck by a falling iron beam.
In a statement, Mr. Kinjarapu, the newly-elected civil aviation minister, announced that flights scheduled to depart after 2 pm will now operate from the other two terminals of the airport, namely Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. He personally visited the site following the collapse of Delhi’s T1 terminal this morning. Ensuring the safety of all passengers was our immediate priority, leading to the cancellation of all flights scheduled before 2 pm.
Passengers will have the option to receive full refunds or rebook on alternative flights and routes. Flights departing after 2 pm will now be operated from T2 and T3.Furthermore, Mr. Kinjarapu stated that a comprehensive examination of the terminal’s structure will be conducted by experts to ensure safety. He also mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is closely monitoring the situation and has assured us of full support.
During a press conference at Delhi airport, Mr. Kinjarapu described the incident as “very serious” and announced compensation of ₹20 lakh for the victim’s family and ₹3 lakh each for the injured individuals.
It’s worth noting that T1 primarily handles domestic flight operations for IndiGo and SpiceJet, with the airport managing approximately 1,400 flight movements on a daily basis.
