New Delhi: On Friday morning, a portion of the roof at Terminal 1 of the Delhi airport collapsed onto cars, including taxis, killing one person and injuring six others. This incident occurred amid heavy rainfall that caused significant disruption to road and air traffic.

Delhi experienced 153.7 mm of rainfall starting around 3 AM, leading to widespread waterlogging and travel chaos. As a result, Terminal 1 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport was closed until 2 PM, impacting many travelers' plans.

The India Meteorological Department categorizes very heavy rain as rainfall between 124.5 and 244.4 mm in a day.

Three fire tenders were dispatched to the airport following a call to the Delhi Fire Service about the incident at around 5:30 AM. A thorough search operation was conducted to ensure no one was trapped in the damaged vehicles.

An official reported that one person died during treatment, while five others are still receiving medical care. Another individual was rescued from a car struck by an iron beam.

The collapse involved both the roof sheet and support beams, damaging cars in the pick-up and drop-off area of Terminal 1.

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu stated he was closely monitoring the situation and confirmed that the injured had been taken to the hospital.

“Personally monitoring the roof collapse incident at T1 Delhi Airport. First responders are working at the site. I have also advised airlines to assist all affected passengers at T1. The injured have been evacuated to the hospital. Rescue operations are still ongoing,” he posted on ‘X’.

Delhi International Airport Ltd released a statement: “Due to heavy rain since early this morning, a portion of the canopy at the old Departure forecourt of Delhi Airport’s Terminal 1 collapsed around 5 AM. There are injuries reported, and emergency personnel are working to provide all necessary assistance and medical aid to those affected. As a result of this incident, all departures from Terminal 1 are temporarily suspended, and check-in counters are closed as a safety measure.”

An IndiGo spokesperson stated that flight operations were impacted due to structural damage at T1 caused by adverse weather conditions, leading to flight cancellations in Delhi as passengers could not enter the terminal. Passengers already inside the terminal were able to board their planned flights, but those with later flights were offered alternatives.

SpiceJet announced that its flights had been cancelled and that T1 would remain partially closed for operations until further notice.