Roof collapse at New Delhi airport kills 1, flights suspended

A portion of the canopy at a departure terminal of New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport collapsed early Friday as heavy pre-monsoon rains lashed the Indian capital, killing one person and injuring six others, officials said.

All flight departures from Terminal 1 were temporarily suspended as rescuers cleared the debris to rescue anyone trapped there, the airport authority said.

The collapse occurred in the domestic departure area of Terminal 1, the main terminal of New Delhi’s main airport.

The fire services control room said the injured were taken to a hospital.

“Due to heavy rain since early this morning, a portion of the canopy of the old departure forecourt” collapsed around 5am, an airport authority statement said.

Besides the roof sheet, some support beams also collapsed, damaging cars in the pickup and drop-off area of the terminal, the Press Trust of India news agency said.

Of the six injured, one was rescued from a car on which an iron beam had fallen, PTI said.

Visuals from media showed water pouring from the collapsed roof and a taxi stuck under a pillar, even as rain continued to pelt down in the area, leading to inundated roads and traffic snarls.

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said first responders were working at the site and advised airlines to assist all affected passengers. “Rescue operations are still ongoing,” he said in a post on the X social media platform.

The airport handled 6.5 million passengers in May across its three terminals, up 8 per cent from a year earlier.

Indigo, which is operated by Interglobe Aviation Ltd., also separately said it has canceled all flights from the terminal.