Delhi Airport Terminal 1 Closes Following Roof Collapse: 1 Dead, 6 Injured

New Delhi: At least one person died and six others were injured when part of the roof at Delhi airport's Terminal-1 (T1) collapsed onto cars during heavy rain this morning.

The civil aviation ministry stated that all departures from Terminal 1, which handles only domestic flights, have been temporarily suspended.

The ministry in a post wrote, “Heavy rain in early morning today has resulted in the collapse of the canopy of Delhi airport Terminal 1. As a result of which, flights to and from Terminal 1 have been closed till further notice. Alternate arrangements are being made for smooth operation of the flights.”

Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu visited the airport and inspected Terminal 1. He called it a "very serious incident" and announced compensation for the family of the victim and those who were injured.

He said that the airport will temporarily move operations to Terminal 2 and Terminal 3.

Four vehicles, including cabs, were damaged in the incident reported to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) around 5:30 am.

Officials said the roof sheet and support beams collapsed, damaging cars parked in the pick-up and drop-off area of Terminal 1 at Indira Gandhi International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world.

During the rescue operations, a man was pulled out of a car that had been struck by an iron beam.

In an official statement, Delhi airport said that a part of the canopy at the old departure forecourt of Terminal 1 collapsed "due to heavy rain since early this morning."

IndiGo stated that its flight operations were affected due to structural damage at Terminal 1 of Delhi Airport. In a statement, the low-cost airline mentioned that the incident caused flight cancellations in Delhi because "passengers are not able to enter the terminal."

Delhi experienced heavy rain today for the second day in a row. While the rain provided relief from the scorching heat, it also caused waterlogging in several parts of the city.

The Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi's main weather station, recorded 154 mm of rainfall from yesterday to this morning, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

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