A part of the canopy of the departure terminal at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport collapsed during heavy pre-monsoon rains, killing one person and injuring six others. Flight departures at Terminal-1 were suspended while rescuers cleared debris to save anyone trapped there. The collapse occurred in the domestic departures area of Terminal 1, the main terminal of New Delhi’s main airport. The Press Trust of India news agency said that in addition to the roof covering, some support beams also collapsed, damaging cars in the terminal’s loading and unloading area.
Images posted online show vehicles crushed under giant steel beams in the departure concourse of the airport’s Terminal 1, one of several projects inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March ahead of the country’s general elections. The terminal is used only for domestic flights and airport authorities said all departing flights were canceled until early afternoon. “Due to the heavy rains that fell since the early hours of this morning, a part of the shed… collapsed around 5 am,” read a statement published online. “Emergency personnel are working to provide all necessary assistance and medical help to those affected.” The other terminals are operating normally, as are arrivals at Terminal 1. New Delhi has been hit by heavy rains in recent days as the annual monsoon reached the Indian capital.
