New Delhi: An investigation has been ordered into the roof collapse at Delhi airport's Terminal 1 on Friday early morning that left one dead and six others injured, with Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu announcing that a thorough inspection of the structure at the airport will be carried out.
Naidu, who visited the airport, said the situation is under control and Terminal 1 (T1) has been closed down and arrangements are being made to shift operations of flights to T2 and T3.
The minister said a compensation of Rs 20 lakh will be given to the family of the deceased and Rs 3 lakh to the injured people.
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The incident happened at around 5 am at the departure area of Terminal 1 (T1) at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) amid heavy rains in the national capital.
The civil aviation ministry on Friday said heavy rain has resulted in the collapse of the canopy of Delhi airport T1.
"As a result of which flights to & from Terminal 1 have been closed till further notice. Alternate arrangements are being made for smooth operation of the flights," the ministry said in a post on X.
Sources in the know said flight departures have been suspended till 2 pm.
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.
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The technical reasons and other aspects of the incident will be known after the investigation, the minister told reporters.
According to him, the structure that collapsed on Friday morning was opened in 2009 and airport operator DIAL has been to do an inspection of the structure. "DGCA will supervise the inspection and they will give a report".
Further, he said a thorough checking of all similar structures at airports across the country will be carried out.
Sources in the government said the roof that collapsed at T1 was constructed during 2008-09 and that the work was contracted out by GMR to private contractors.
Immediately after knowing about the incident, Naidu said the emergency response and fire safety teams were sent. Among others, CISF and NDRF personnel were also at the site.
"Due to heavy rain since early this morning, a portion of the canopy at the old departure forecourt of Delhi airport's Terminal 1 collapsed around 5 am. There are injuries reported, and emergency personnel are working to provide all necessary assistance and medical aid to those affected," a DIAL spokesperson said in a statement.
As a result of this incident, the spokesperson said all departures from Terminal 1 are temporarily suspended, and check-in counters are closed as a safety measure.
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), a consortium led by GMR Group, is the operator of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital.
"We sincerely regret this disruption and apologise for any inconvenience caused." the spokesperson said.
—PTI