A canopy collapsed at the passenger pickup and drop-off area outside Rajkot Airport in Gujarat on Saturday amid heavy rainfall. This incident occurred just a day after a tragic incident at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport Terminal-1, according to the news agency PTI.
Preliminary information suggests there were no reports of injuries or casualties.
Meanwhile, Gujarat is experiencing heavy rainfall as the southwest monsoon continues to advance across the state. With forecasts predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall in certain areas, seven teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Kutch, Rajkot, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Narmada, and Valsad districts.
The incident occurred one day after a section of the roof collapsed at Terminal 1 of Indira Gandhi International Airport during the early hours, resulting in the death of a 45-year-old cab driver and injuries to eight others.
The incident led to the indefinite suspension of operations at Terminal 1, which typically manages approximately 200 flights daily. Delhi Airport, operated by Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), stated that a roof in the old departure forecourt of Terminal 1 partially collapsed around 5 am on Friday. While the exact cause of the collapse has yet to be determined, it is suspected to be related to heavy rainfall and strong winds.
Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu has announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the family of the deceased, and Rs 3 lakh each to those who received minor injuries.
The ministry also ordered to undertake a structural preliminary inspection at all the airports across the country in order to prevent such incidents.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police have registered a first information report (FIR) under sections 304A (death by negligence) and 337 (causing hurt by Act endangering life or personal safety of others) of Indian Penal Code.
A similar incident took place at Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur airport when a part of a fabric canopy collapsed on Thursday due to accumulation of water amid heavy rains and crushed a car parked below. However, no one was injured in the incident. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had virtually inaugurated the Rs 450-crore new terminal building of the Dumna airport on March 10.