Airport canopy in New Delhi collapses in the rain
The Indira Gandhi Airport in New Delhi is an Indian showcase project. However, it has not been able to withstand the heavy rainstorms that have hit the Indian capital in the past few days. A part of the roof of Terminal 1 simply collapsed in the middle of the night.
At New Delhi's international airport, a roof at Indira Gandhi Airport collapsed and a person has been reported dead. A part of the roof reportedly collapsed around 5 AM (local time; 1 AM CET). According to rescue services, eight people were injured in the incident at Indira Gandhi Airport. New Delhi had experienced heavy rainfall in the past few days.
Images published on the internet showed vehicles trapped under large steel girders on the departure area of Terminal 1 of the airport. The terminal is reportedly used only for domestic flights. The airport authorities announced that all flights departing from the terminal were cancelled until the afternoon. Arrivals were still possible and the other terminals were not affected.
The terminal was recently renovated and inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March. Indian Civil Aviation Minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, stated that the building "on the other side" was the one inaugurated by Modi and the collapsed building had been opened in 2009.
A Showpiece Project
Modi has made infrastructure projects a priority of his government. The Indira Gandhi Airport in New Delhi is one of the showpiece projects. However, concerns over safety and construction standards in the subcontinent persist. Reports indicate that on Friday, a roof also collapsed at Jabalpur Airport in the Madhya Pradesh state, without causing any casualties. This was also a recently inaugurated project by Modi.
A spokesperson for the opposition Congress Party spoke of Modi's "inauguration frenzy" before the elections. The senior Congress Party member Priyanka Gandhi wrote on the online service X: "Will the Minister of Inaugurations take responsibility for these poor construction works and this corrupt model?"
- Despite being a showpiece project, the misfortune of a roof collapse at the Indira Gandhi Airport in New Delhi, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has raised concerns about construction standards.
- International news outlets are covering the incident at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport, where a part of Terminal 1's roof collapsed during a rainstorm, affecting numerous international flights.
- The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has expressed concern over the recent misfortunes at Indian airports, such as the roof collapses at both New Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport and Jabalpur Airport, and has called for an investigation into the construction standards and safety measures.
