Delhi Airport Roof Collapse: Police Register Case of Death Due to Negligence, Initiates Probe

New Delhi: One person died while five others were injured after a portion of the roof of the Delhi airport's Terminal-1 fell on cars, including taxis, amid heavy rains early Friday, Delhi Fire Services (DFS) officials said. A search operation is underway to make sure no one else is trapped in the damaged vehicles. Besides the roof sheet, the support beams also collapsed, damaging the cars parked in the pick-up and drop area of the terminal, the officials said. The injured persons have been hospitalised, they said. Of the six, one was rescued from a car on which an iron beam had fallen, the officials said. Three fire-tenders were sent to the airport after a call about the incident was received by the DFS around 5:30 am.

Meanwhile, an investigation has been ordered into the roof collapse, with Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu announcing that a thorough inspection of the structure at the airport will be carried out. The technical reasons and other aspects of the incident will be known after the investigation, the minister said.

T1 has only domestic flight operations by IndiGo and SpiceJet. The airport -- which has three terminals T1, T2 and T3 -- handles around 1,400 flight movements daily.

Delhi Rains and IGI Airport T-1 Roof Collapse LIVE updates:

21.10 pm: The Ministry of Civil Aviation, in its statement informed, "A 24*7 war room will ensure the full refund of cancelled flights or provide alternative travel route tickets as per availability, processed within seven days. Contact details, including helpline numbers for immediate assistance, will be provided to passengers. The helpline numbers are Indigo Airlines: T2 Terminal: 7428748308, T3 Terminal: 7428748310; SpiceJet: T3 Terminal: 0124-4983410 / 0124-7101600 / 9711209864 (Mr Rohit)." 

20.10 pm: The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Friday said, a 24*7 war room will be established under close monitoring of Civil Aviation Ministry, which will ensure a full refund of cancelled flights which will be processed within 7 days. As per the Civil Aviation Ministry, the Airports Authority of India has been directed to issue a circular to all minor and major airports to conduct a thorough inspection of structural strength.

20.02 pm: Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu today held a high-level review meeting with key officials and took decision regarding the ongoing situation and to address passengers' safety. Earlier, the Ministry of Civil Aviation released an advisory to all airlines to ensure that the ongoing situation does not lead to a steep increase in airfare and to maintain fare stability.

19.31 pm: In view of speculations that an abnormal surge in airfares may occur due to the roof collapse incident at Delhi’s IGI Airport, the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Friday issued guidelines for the airline service provider companies saying, “in view of the unfortunate incident at Terminal T1D IGIA, Delhi,  all airlines are advised to monitor any abnormal surge in airfares to and from Delhi and take necessary action regarding the same.”

19.25 pm: As the Terminal T-1 has been closed after the roof collapse incident at Delhi’s IGI Airport, the closure is likely to affect 18% of domestic flights. Amid all the chaos after the incident, the flight operations at the T-1 have been halted impacting at least 18% of domestic flights, says the concerned authorities. IndiGo and SpiceJet, primarily operating from Terminal 1, faced significant disruptions, with 89 flights scheduled for departure affected immediately. The closure poses challenges of congestion and logistical hurdles at Terminal 3 and Terminal 2, straining check-in counters and security queues.

19:18 pm: After the collapse incident at the IGI Airport's Terminal-1, Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has issued a clarification following the collapse of a portion of the roof at Terminal 1 (T1) of Delhi Airport amid heavy rain on Friday. The company extended its sympathies to those affected by the incident, clarifying that L&T was neither responsible for constructing the collapsed structure nor for its maintenance.

18.35 pm: The authorities have brought heavy cranes at the site to remove debris from the IGI Terminal T1. 

17.20 pm: The Delhi Police has filed an FIR in the IGI Airport incident. According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport), a case under sections 304A, 337 of the IPC has been registered in this regard.

16:40 pm: Primary cause for roof collapse seems to be the continued heavy rainfall, said Delhi airport operator DIAL.

16:30 pm: A Technical Committee has been formed by DIAL to investigate the cause of the incident and will give the report as soon as possible. In addition, DIAL is working with all relevant agencies, including Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Bureau of Civil Aviation (BCAS), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Delhi Police and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are jointly working to assess the situation and restore operations.

16:25 pm: Delhi Airport, operated by GMR Airport Infrastructure Limited-led Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) today said due to heavy rains and winds through the night in Delhi, a Canopy at the old departure forecourt of Terminal 1 (T1) partially collapsed around 5 am this morning. 

During this incident, four (4) vehicles were damaged, and eight (8) individuals received minor injuries and were provided immediate medical assistance at the Medanta Centre at Delhi Airport. 

16:20 pm: A cab driver who was present at the accident site said that there was no loud noise of anything breaking when the rods of a portion of a roof collapsed at the Delhi airport's Terminal-1. He said that after the rods fell on the cars parked at the site, people became aware of the incident and chaos ensued with them shouting for help.

16:00 pm: Movement of traffic is restricted at Pragati Maidan tunnel due to waterlogging till further notice. Commuters are advised to plan their journey accordingly, informed Delhi Traffic Police.

15:50 pm: The people injured in the Delhi Airport roof collapse have been identified as Santosh Kumar Yadav (28), Subham Shah (30), Dashrat Ahirwar (25), Arvind Goswami (34), Sahil Kundan (27) and Yogesh Dhawan (44). They are residents of Delhi, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, the official said.

15:50 pm: Delhi Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “Delhi has received heavy rainfall in the last 24 hours. I was reading the weather report that there has never been so much rain in the month of June after 1936. We have called an all-minister meeting at 2 pm in which there will be PWD Minister, people from MCD, PWD and we will also talk to other agencies about what can be done so that there is no further damage and for this some arrangements should be made on a war footing, so in that meeting at 2 pm, I think many directions will be given.”

15:30 pm: The monsoon has finally arrived in Delhi after a long and severe heat spell in the city, the IMD announced. In an official statement, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into the entire Delhi region.

15:15 pm: Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav attributed the waterlogging in Delhi following torrential rains on Friday morning to drains being clogged with plastic waste and criticised the Delhi government for its inaction despite multiple reminders.

14:30 pm: Delhi L-G asked officials to set up an emergency control room for waterlogging complaints. The control room would be manned 24X7 by senior officials. He also directed various agencies to deploy static pumps and field staff to drain water from roads.

The Irrigation and Flood Control department was directed to remain in touch with their counterparts in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh to assess rainfall levels and discharges from the Hathnikund barrage.

14:00 pm: Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena took stock of the situation in Delhi after hours-long rain brought the city to a standstill and directed officials to set up an emergency control room and deploy static pumps to address waterlogging reports. The LG said that all senior officers on leave should be asked to report back to duty immediately and no leave should be sanctioned for the next two months.

13:50 pm: A Forensic Science Laboratory team has reached the accident site at Delhi Aiprot Terminal 1 and investigation is underway.

13:35 pm: Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said, “Investigation has begun. We will also bring experts from the department to investigate this. Action will be taken on the basis of the report that will come. We will also inspect all airport buildings across the country to ensure that this doesn't happen again. A review has been called today.”

13:15 pm: Three labourers are feared trapped after an under-construction wall collapsed in southwest Delhi's Vasant Vihar area.

13:10 pm: “The incident that took place at Terminal 1 today was unfortunate. It is a reflection of the status of our infrastructure. An investigation into it should take place,” said an affected passenger, Uday Bhaskar. 

13:00 pm: Delhi Government has called for an emergency meeting at 2 pm today at Delhi Secretariat, over heavy rainfall and waterlogging. All ministers of Delhi Government and officers from departments concerned to be present at the meeting.

12:35 pm: Due to heavy rains in Delhi, power supply was disrupted in several parts of the city on Friday. Power disruption was caused due to technical faults and precautionary shutdown in the city's waterlogged areas, the officials of power distribution companies (discoms) operating in Delhi said.

Residents of Dwarka, Jangpura and Laxmi Nagar said the power supply was cut as soon as it started raining in their areas.

12:15 pm: The IMD said, “Northern Limit of Monsoon passes through 26°N/65°E, Jaisalmer, Churu, Bhiwani, Delhi, Aligarh, Kanpur, Ghazipur, Gonda, Kheri, Moradabad, Dehradun, Una, Pathankot, Jammu, 33°N/74°E. Conditions are likely to become favourable for further advance of southwest Monsoon into some more parts of West Rajasthan; remaining parts of Haryana, entire Chandigarh and remaining parts of Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu during next 2-3 days.”

11:50 am: Railings installed along the road divider in Noida Sector 18 collapsed and fell on the road following heavy rainfall.

11:35 am: SpiceJet has issued an updated advisory for passengers saying, “All affected SpiceJet flights departing from Terminal 1 are being re-accommodated to Terminal 3. Necessary information has been communicated to all the passengers via SMS/Email. Due to heavy traffic congestion enroute Delhi Airport, all passengers are requested to ensure sufficient travel time and keep a check on their flight status.”

11:30 am: Indigo issued a statement saying,"Due to structural damage to Delhi Airport (Terminal 1) caused by adverse weather, flight operations are impacted. All flights scheduled to depart between 1000-1400 hrs have been cancelled."

11: 25 am: The Aviation Minister said, "We immediately sent the emergency response team, the fire safety team and also the CISF and, NDRF teams. Everyone was available at the site and they have a thorough inspection so that no other casualties are there. So right now the situation is under control. The rest of the terminal building has been closed and everything is being thoroughly inspected so that there is no further untoward incident here."

11:15 am: After visiting the accident site, Union Minister of Civil Aviation K Ram Mohan Naidu said, "We are taking this incident seriously. 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."

He added, "A section of the canopy which is outside of the airport has collapsed due to heavy rains. We express our condolence to the life that has been lost in this tragic incident, four people have also been injured. So we are taking care of them right now."

11:00 am: The Ministry of Civil Aviation took cognisance of the situation and said, “In an unfortunate development, due to the collapse of the canopy at Delhi Airport Terminal 1 today morning, a few passengers got hurt. They were promptly provided with medical assistance on the spot and those taken to hospital, their whereabouts are being regularly monitored. As a result, all departures have been temporarily suspended and all check-in counters have been closed till further notice.”

10:35 am: Delhi Airport has informed, “All the planned arrivals for Terminal 1 continued till 1030hrs. Post this, all arrival and departure flights are being planned and allocated as per following:- Spice Jet- All arrival and departure (planned for Terminal 1) are allocated for Terminal 3.”

10:32 am: The roof that collapsed at the Delhi airport’s terminal 1 was constructed during 2008-09. The work was contracted out by GMR to private contractors, as per government sources.

10:30 am: Delhi Airport Terminal 1 will be reopened by tomorrow after a thorough security inspection, said Aviation Ministry.

10:25 am: A compensation of Rs 20 lakhs will be given to the deceased's family and Rs 3 lakhs to those injured, announces Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu.

10:20 am: Due to heavy rains, entry/exit is closed at Yashobhoomi Dwarka Sector - 25 Metro station. Shuttle service from Delhi Aerocity Metro station to Terminal 1-IGI Airport has been suspended. Normal service on all other lines, said DMRC.

10:05 am:  NDRF team clears debris at Delhi airport’s T1 after a portion of the roof collapsed earlier today due to heavy rains. One person was killed, and five others were injured in the incident.

10:00 am: Speaking on the incident, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), IGI Airport Usha Rangnani said, “At around 5 am, the shed outside Terminal 1 of IGIA (domestic airport), spanning from Departure Gate No. 1 to Gate No. 2, collapsed, in which around 4 vehicles were damaged and around 6 persons were injured and one person died. All injured persons are stable. Delhi Police, fire service, CISF and NDRF teams are present on the spot. Legal action is being taken.”

9:55 am: DGCA has advised airlines to accommodate passengers on alternate flights or provide full refunds under the regulations.

9:52 am: SpiceJet, IndiGo cancel flight operations after Delhi Airport Terminal 1 roof collapse incident.

9:50 am: Delhi's Pragati Maidan Tunnel closed due to rain-triggered waterlogging and visuals from Mathura Road.

9:45 am: Severe waterlogging in different parts of Delhi, following incessant heavy rainfall.

9:25 am: The travel update from Vistara read, “Heavy traffic congestion and slow vehicle movement are expected enroute to Delhi Airport today due to weather conditions. Customers are advised to allow more time for their journey to the airport.”

9:15 am: Amid heavy rains in Delhi-NCR, Air India issued an advisory for its passengers. It read, “#TravelAdvisory - Heavy rains in Delhi may result in flight delays to and from #Delhiairport today. Guests are advised to check the status of their flights (https://bit.ly/45LHjGN) before heading to the airport and keep sufficient time in hand in view of heavy traffic on the roads. For more information, please call our Contact Centre on 011 6932 9333 & 011 6932 9999 or visit our website http://airindia.com.”

9:05 am: Passengers are being taken to Terminal 2 and 3 from Terminal 1. All departing and arriving flights from Terminal 3 and Terminal 2 are fully operational. Flights at Terminal 1 Arrivals are also operating. However, the departing flights from Terminal 1 are cancelled till 2 pm today.

8:55 am: Man injured in Delhi airport roof collapse incident dies during treatment in hospital, confirms police officials

8:50 am: The Ministry of Civil Aviation has formed a team to investigate the accident that occurred this morning at Terminal 1 of Delhi Airport. The team will investigate the accident.

8:45 am: Amid heavy rains in Delhi-NCR region, SpiceJet has issued a statement saying, "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. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding. Please contact us at +91 (0)124 4983410/+91 (0)124 7101600 for alternate options or full refund or refer to changes.spicejet.com. Please keep a watch on our Social Media channels for further updates."

8:37 am: IndiGo added, “This unplanned situation has also led to operations across the network being impacted. Customers are advised to keep a track of and confirm their flight status before leaving for the airport. IndiGo passengers can call 0124 6173838 or 0124 4973838 to seek assistance regarding their travel plans. We regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers.”

8:35 am: With flight operations suspended at Delhi Airport Terminal-1, IndiGo has issued a statement. It read, “IndiGo flight operations are impacted due to structural damage to Terminal 1, Delhi Airport because of adverse weather conditions. This has led to flight cancellations at Delhi as passengers are not able to enter the terminal. 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.”

8:30 am: Rescue operations underway at Delhi Airport's Terminal 1

8:25 am: A passenger at Delhi Airport's Terminal 1 says, “I have a flight at 9 am. I came to know that the structure above (canopy) has collapsed here. Some flights have been cancelled. They (officials) are now asking us to go to Terminal 2.”

8:20 am: As a result of this incident, all departures from Terminal 1 are temporarily suspended, and check-in counters are closed as a safety measure. We sincerely regret this disruption and apologize for any inconvenience caused.

8:00 am: Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said that he is personally monitoring the situation and the injured people have been shifted to hospital. He said, “Personally monitoring the roof collapse incident at T1 Delhi Airport. First responders are working at site. Also advised the airlines to assist all affected passengers at T1. The injured have been evacuated to hospital. Rescue operations are still ongoing.”