Delhi Airport Terminal 1 Roof Collapses, 1 Dead, 6 Injured

One person died and six others were injured after a portion of the roof at Terminal 1 of the Delhi airport collapsed amid heavy rain early Friday morning. Following the incident, several flights from Terminal 1 were cancelled, and many other services were shifted to other terminals.

All flights scheduled to depart from Terminal 1 till 2 pm have been cancelled. Flights scheduled to depart after 2 pm will be operated from Terminal 2 and 3, the Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, said in a statement.

The airlines have been advised to accommodate passengers on alternate flights or provide full refunds under the regulations, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said. Passengers will receive full refunds or have the option to rebook on alternative flights and routes.

Over this tragedy, Opposition leaders slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Terminal 1, which was recently expanded to accommodate more passengers, was inaugurated by PM Modi in March.

On March 10, PM Modi inaugurated or laid the foundation stone of 15 airport projects across the country which are worth more than Rs 9,800 crore. Among these projects, the expanded Terminal 1 of Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi was inaugurated. The Opposition leaders accused PM Modi of "hurriedly inaugurating" an "incomplete terminal" to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.

After the congress allegation, Kinjarapu said "I want to clarify that the building inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi is on the other side and the building that collapsed here is an old building and was opened in 2009," Naidu, who took stock of the situation at Delhi airport, said.

Government sources said the construction of the affected roof was contracted out by GMR Airports Limited to private contractors. The collapse of a portion of the canopy of Delhi Airport's Terminal-1 came as heavy rain pounded the national capital on Friday.

The Union Minister said a nationwide audit would be conducted and announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the deceased and Rs 3 lakh for the injured.