Roof of airport in New Delhi partially collapses
At the partial collapse of a canopy at New Delhi's international airport, the Indian capital, a person has lost their life. According to airport authorities, a part of the overhanging roof collapsed around 5 pm (local time; 1 pm CET), due to "heavy rainfall." The emergency services reported that eight people were injured in the airport incident at Indira Gandhi Airport. New Delhi had experienced heavy rainfall in the past few days.
Photos published on the internet showed vehicles trapped under large steel girders on the departure area of Terminal 1 of the airport. Terminal 1 is used only for domestic flights. Airport authorities announced that all departing flights had been canceled until the afternoon. Arrivals were still possible, and the other terminals were not affected.
The terminal was recently renovated and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March, just before the Indian parliamentary elections. Indian Civil Aviation Minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, stated that the building Modi inaugurated was "on the other side" and that the collapsed building had been opened in 2009.
Modi has made infrastructure projects a priority of his government. New Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport is considered a showcase project. However, concerns about safety and construction standards in the South Asian country persist. Reports indicate that a roof also collapsed at Jabalpur Airport in the Madhya Pradesh state on Friday, without causing any injuries. 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 in charge of inaugurations take responsibility for these poor construction works and this corrupt model?"
- Despite the recent renovation and inauguration by Prime Minister Modi, the overhanging roof of a different building at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport collapsed, leading to the death of an individual.
- The incident at the airport happened on the roof of the building that was opened in 2009, not the one recently renovated and inaugurated in March.
- The dead person may have been on the roof of the old terminal when the collapse occurred, as it was the part of the airport affected by the heavy rainfall and resulting partial collapse.
