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45-year-old cab driver killed, 8 others hurt in roof collapse at Delhi airport
One killed, 8 injured as roof at Delhi airport's Terminal 1 collapses amid heavy rain. Operations suspended, airlines shifted to other terminals.
A 45-year-old cab driver was killed and eight others including a Merchant Navy officer sustained injuries after a portion of the roof at Terminal 1 (domestic) of the Delhi airport collapsed during heavy rains, crushing at least three cars on Friday morning, fire department and police officials said. The police have registered a case on charges of causing death by negligence. The collapse has resulted in the suspension of operations from the Terminal 1, which handles around 200 flights a day, indefinitely.
Delhi Airport, operated by Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said that a roof at the old departure forecourt of Terminal 1 partially collapsed around 5am on Friday. While the cause for the collapse is yet to be ascertained, it is suspected to be due to heavy rainfall and winds. According to the India Meteorological Department, Delhi recorded 228.1mm of rains in 24 hours to 8.30am, with much of it concentrated in the early morning hours Friday.
“This structure was built in 2009. We have asked DIAL to do a verification from their side. We are not just leaving to them. From the ministry, we have the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) that looks into the safety aspect. They will also be supervising this inspection. They will also give us a report,” Union civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu, said after visiting the terminal.
“As a precautionary measure, all flight operations from Terminal 1 have been suspended till further notice and rescheduled by the respective airlines to operate from Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, till the impacted areas are restored for operations,” a DIAL spokesperson said.
The two airlines that operate from T1 – IndiGo and SpiceJet – both moved their operation to T2 and T3.
Police identified the deceased as Ramesh Kumar, a resident of Rohini Sector 7. Four vehicles were also damaged in the incident.
A cab driver identified as Shailendra Singh, 26, resident of Mehram Nagar, who was present at the spot said that it was business as usual at the airport when suddenly, the roof collapsed, crushing several cabs standing on the departure lane. “There was nobody in at least two cabs but a driver was sitting in one. He had just dropped off his fare. There were people in a few other cars as well who were stuck.”
“People were shouting and screaming. It was all chaos,” he said adding.
The injured were moved to an outlet of Medanta Hospital at Terminal 1 where they were treated before being shifted to other hospitals in Delhi.
Fire officer Ravinder Singh who led the rescue operation said that while they managed to pull people out from other cabs, Kumar’s cab was directly under the weight of a fallen pillar.
DIAL, led by GMR, said that the evacuation of passengers and all other individuals from T1 was undertaken and completed. It said a compensation of ₹20 lakh will be given to the family of the deceased, and ₹3 lakh each to those who were wounded.
According to police and DIAL, the injured were shifted to ESI Hospital, Indian Spinal Injury Centre and Safdarjung Hospital after initial assistance at Medanta.
After the accident, airlines scrambled to shift their operations to T2 and T3, which they will continue to use till the impacted areas are restored, a DIAL spokesperson said. The expanded T1 is currently undergoing mandatory checks after which it is expected to be operational in the coming month.
Currently only IndiGo and SpiceJet operate from T1. While IndiGo flights will be operating from both T2 and T3, SpiceJet flights will be operating from T3.
On Friday, Spicejet cancelled eight departures and Indigo, 62.
“... Passengers already inside the terminal will be able to board their planned flights, but those with flights later in the day will be offered alternatives. This unplanned situation has also led to operations across the network being impacted,” an IndiGo spokesperson said.
SpiceJet, in a post on X said: “Due to bad weather (heavy rains), SpiceJet flights have been cancelled as Terminal 1 of Delhi Airport will remain partially closed for operations until further notice… Please contact us at +91 (0)124 4983410/+91 (0)124 7101600 for alternate options or full refund or refer to changes.spicejet.com.”
A former DGCA official said, “DGCA’s primary focus has always been safety on the air side of the terminal and hence there is no specific rule on maintaining or inspecting the terminal building. Having said that, there are some miniscule rules that are taken care of by the local fire department.”
Prashant Padhi, 58, resident of Odisha reached T1 around 1.30pm for his 3pm flight to Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Odisha, but was clueless about where to go next after he was informed that T1 was not operational. “There is no held desk, no official to help us. The airlines should assign people to help passengers if something like this happens,” he said.
An airport official who did not wish to be identified said that a shuttle service was available for passengers coming to T1 to go to T2 and T3 if their flight rescheduled. “Most of the people coming here are those who missed checking their emails before leaving. Emails regarding cancellation of flights were sent to each passenger,” he said. DIAL has also formed a committee to investigate the cause of the incident, the company’s spokesperson added.
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