Rajkot, India
In an incident similar to the tragic Delhi airport roof collapse, the canopy at the Rajkot airport terminal fell at the passenger pickup and drop area amid heavy rains in the Indian state of Gujarat on Saturday (June 29). So far, no one has been injured.
This happened just a day after one person was killed and eight others were injured after a roof at Terminal-1 of New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport collapsed amid heavy rains on Friday (June 28).
VIDEO | Canopy collapses at the passenger pickup and drop area outside #Rajkot airport terminal amid heavy rains.
(Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/gsurfX2O1S
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 29, 2024
On Saturday, India's Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said that they will carry out a structural preliminary inspection at all the airports across the country.
Naidu said that a report from all the airports has been sought by the ministry within 2-5 days after which necessary measures will be taken to prevent such incidents in the days ahead.
Also Read: Delhi airport roof collapse: Aviation minister orders 'structural audit' of all airports
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Rajkot Airport in July 2023.
Hattrick of airport canopy collapses
This is the third canopy collapse at an airport in the last two days. On Thursday (June 27), a part of a fabric canopy collapsed inside the premises of the Dumna airport, Jabalpur, amid heavy rains and crushed a car parked below. No one had suffered injuries in the incident.
"The fabric canopy was put up to beautify the 'drop and go' area. Water accumulated over it due to rain. It ripped under the weight of the water and the water fell with great force on a car parked there," said airport director Rajeev Ratna Pandey, while speaking to PTI.
However, the canopy collapse at the Delhi airport turned into a tragedy after it killed a taxi driver and left others injured. The incident also became a nightmare for the passengers whose flights were cancelled.
Watch: India: Roof collapse at Delhi airport amid heavy rains
The flight operations from Terminal 1 remain suspended till further notice by the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL). A circular was also issued by the ministry to the airlines, asking them not to increase the fares.
(With inputs from agencies)