(New Delhi) One person died and eight were injured after the roof of a newly renovated terminal building at New Delhi airport partially collapsed during heavy rains on Friday, fire officials said.
Published at 10:39 a.m.
“Eight people were injured, one person died. Rescue operations have been completed,” Atul Garg, director of the Indian capital’s fire services, told AFP.
Vehicles were crushed by giant steel beams falling onto the departures forecourt of Terminal 1, according to images posted online.
The terminal, which is used only for domestic flights, is one of several projects inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March ahead of the general elections in the country.
All flights departing from this terminal were canceled until early afternoon, airport authorities announced.
“Due to heavy rain early this morning, part of the roof collapsed around 5 a.m.,” they said in a statement.
“Rescue teams are working to provide all necessary assistance and medical aid to those affected,” they said.
The other terminals of the airport are operating normally, as are arrivals at Terminal 1.
New Delhi has been hit by heavy rains in recent days as the monsoon reached the Indian capital.
Narendra Modi has committed to spending heavily on infrastructure, including expanding India’s largest airport, renamed after former prime minister Indira Gandhi. But safety and construction standards in South Asia’s largest country are worrying.
Last year, more than 40 workers were trapped for nearly two weeks before being rescued after the road tunnel they were working on collapsed in the northern state of Uttarakhand.
Separately, in August 2023, around 20 workers working on a railway bridge under construction over a ravine in the northeastern state of Mizoram were killed when it collapsed.
