Heavy rain: Delhi govt to hold emergency meeting; Delhi airport T-1 roof collapses
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New Delhi: After severe rains left the nation's capital flooded and caused traffic to stop in several locations, the Delhi government will conduct an emergency meeting this Friday afternoon to assess the situation in the city.
The meeting, scheduled for 2:00 pm at the Secretariat, is expected to be attended by all Cabinet ministers and senior officials, according to authorities, PTI reported.
Heavy rains hit normal life in Delhi.
A portion of the roof of the Delhi airport's Terminal-1 collapsed due to the rain, leaving one person dead and six injured. The roof fell on cars amid heavy rain Friday morning.
All flights from the terminal at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world, scheduled till 2 pm today were cancelled, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said after inspecting the airport, NDTV reported.
The officials said the roof sheet and the support beams collapsed, damaging four cars parked in the pick-up and drop area of the terminal. The incident was reported to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) around 5.30 am.
During the rescue operations, a man was seen being taken out from a cab on which an iron beam had fallen.
In a statement, Mr Kinjarapu, the newly-elected civil aviation minister, said the flights scheduled to depart after 2 pm would operate from the other two terminals, Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, of the airport.
“Following the collapse of the Delhi T1 terminal this morning, I have personally inspected the site. Our immediate priority was the safe evacuation of all passengers from the terminal. Consequently, all flights scheduled until 2 PM have been canceled. Passengers will receive full refunds or have the option to rebook on alternative flights and routes. Flights scheduled to depart after 2 PM will be operated from T2 and T3,” NDTV quoted him as saying.
"We will see that a thorough examination of the terminal's structure is conducted by experts to ensure safety," he added.
Delhi is reported to have recorded 230 mm of rainfall, between 8:30 am on Thursday and 8:30 am Friday.
Delhiites shared on social media videos and photos of submerged vehicles on waterlogged roads and of long traffic jams.
