By D. Maan, Jadetimes News
Roof Collapse at New Delhi Airport Claims One Life, Injures Eight Amid Heavy Rains
A section of the roof at New Delhi’s airport collapsed on Friday following heavy rain, resulting in the death of one man and injuring eight others, marking another significant infrastructure disaster in India.
“Due to heavy rain since early this morning, a portion of the canopy at the old Departure forecourt of Delhi’s Terminal 1 collapsed around 5 am,” stated the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
All departures from Terminal 1 have been temporarily suspended. Delhi Fire Services assistant divisional officer Ravinder Singh reported that rescuers found two support pillars had collapsed onto a car. “There were eight injured and one man died,” Singh said, noting that images showed the man “died in the car as the pillar fell on it.” He added, “It took us a little longer to get his body out. Our rescue operations ended in 20 minutes,” and the wounded were taken to a hospital.
Photos released by the fire service depicted the large white canopy of the roof collapsed on the ground, crushing several cars. One person was seen slumped under twisted metal in the driver’s seat of one of the cars.
ndia’s Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, said he was “personally monitoring” the collapse in a statement on X.
Parts of Delhi experienced heavy rainfall this week, flooding roads and submerging cars. The showers provided some relief from weeks of intense heat, with temperatures reaching a record high of 49.9 degrees Celsius (121.8 degrees Fahrenheit), straining the country’s electricity grid and power supply.
Friday’s incident is the latest in a series of infrastructure mishaps in India, which has recently focused on grand infrastructure projects and upgrading its aging transport network. Earlier this month, at least nine people were killed and dozens injured after a cargo train collided with a passenger train in eastern India. In 2022, 135 people were killed when a newly renovated suspension bridge collapsed in Morbi, Gujarat, one of the worst public safety tragedies in recent years.