One Dead, Eight Injured After Roof Collapse At New Delhi Airport

Images posted online showed vehicles crushed under giant steel girders at the departure forecourt of the airport's Terminal 1.

One Dead, Eight Injured After Roof Collapse At New Delhi Airport

The roof of a freshly renovated terminal building at New Delhi's international airport partially collapsed in heavy rains early Friday, killing one person and wounding eight others, according to rescuers. 

Images shared online showed cars crushed beneath massive steel girders at the airport's Terminal 1 departure forecourt, one of numerous projects launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March ahead of the country's general election. 

The terminal is solely used for domestic flights, and airport officials said all flights departing from there were canceled until early afternoon. 

"Due to heavy rain since early this morning, a portion of the canopy collapsed around 5 a.m.," they said in a statement posted online.

"Emergency personnel are working to provide all necessary assistance and medical aid to those affected." 

Other terminals and arrivals at Terminal 1 were working normally, it added. 

The annual monsoon has arrived in New Delhi, bringing torrential rainfall. 

"Eight people suffered injuries, and one person died. Rescue operations have been concluded," Atul Gard, director of Delhi Fire Services, told AFP.