(New Delhi) One person died and eight were injured when the roof of a recently renovated terminal at New Delhi airport partially collapsed during heavy rains on Friday, firefighters said.
“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 falling giant steel beams on the departures plaza of Terminal 1, according to images published 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 country’s general elections.
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 incurred numerous expenses in terms of infrastructure, notably for the expansion of India’s largest airport, renamed in homage to 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 twenty workers working on a railway bridge under construction over a ravine in the northeastern state of Mizoram were killed when it collapsed.