Part of the roof at the Terminal 1 of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, one of India’s busiest, collapsed early Sunday amid heavy thunderstorms and rain, shows a video.
Photos and videos showed that an expansive section of the overhang outside the airport had buckled onto the pavement, with water gushing everywhere.
As many as 49 flights, including 17 international ones, were diverted at the Delhi Airport due to heavy rain and thunderstorms that battered the national capital overnight.
“Delhi experienced an intense thunderstorm accompanied by heavy rainfall during the intervening night of May 24th. The city recorded over 80 mm of rain with wind speeds touching 70-80 km/h within a short span of 30 to 45 minutes around 2:00 AM. This sudden and concentrated downpour led to temporary water accumulation in and around IGI Airport, briefly impacting operations,” said the Delhi Airport in a statement.
“As a part of the design’s natural response to extreme conditions and to prevent excessive water retention, a section of the external tensile fabric at the T1 Arrival forecourt adjusted under pressure, thereby aiding in water dispersal. There was no structural compromise or impact to other parts of the terminal,” the statement added.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the city’s primary weather station recorded winds gusting up to 82 kmph and 81.2 mm of rain in six hours — between Saturday 11.30 pm and 5.30 am on Sunday.
The Airport underlined that swift action was taken by the ground teams to restore normal conditions, ensuring safety and continuity of operations with minimal disruption.
Severe waterlogging was witnessed in several parts of the city after the heavy rain. Traffic congestion and slow vehicular movement was also reported from several areas.
Visuals from Delhi’s Minto Road showed a car submerged due to severe waterlogging.
Earlier on Wednesday, a cloud mass entered North Delhi and moved south-southeastwards, triggering a dust storm and strong winds.
The winds blew at speeds of 50-60 kmph, gusting up to 70 kmph, accompanied by light rainfall. Power disruptions were reported in several areas across the capital after an intense dust storm, followed by thunderstorms, hail, and rain hit parts of Delhi.
