New Delhi:
A taxi driver was killed when the roof of Delhi airport’s Terminal 1 collapsed following heavy rains on Saturday night. Ramesh Kumar was rescued from a car on which an iron girder had fallen, but was declared dead when he was taken to Medanta Hospital near the terminal.
The 45-year-old’s death has left his family in shock and grief. Ramesh, a resident of Vijay Vihar in Rohini, Delhi, was the sole breadwinner of his family, which includes two sons and two daughters. His son, Ravindra, expressed concern over how the family will manage without his father’s support.
“We received a call at 8.30 in the morning. They told us that our father had fainted at the airport and had been taken to the hospital. But they did not tell us that such a tragedy had occurred,” says Ravindra.
“When we went to the airport and asked the police what was happening, they took us to a police station and kept us there until 4 in the afternoon. Then they took us to the hospital, but they didn’t tell us that he had died. After waiting two or three hours, they asked us to come the next day to pick up the body after the autopsy,” he adds.
The family’s grief has been compounded by the fact that Ramesh’s daughters’ weddings are approaching and they are now worried about how they will manage the expenses.
They demand a judicial investigation into the incident and seek adequate compensation from the government.
The city witnessed heavy rains from around 3 a.m. At the busy Terminal 1 of the airport, the destruction from the rain took a tragic turn. At around 5 a.m., the huge canopy covering the departure area gave way, trapping several people. In addition to the roof sheet, the supporting beams collapsed, immobilizing parked vehicles.
Several videos also appeared on social networks in which water is seen accumulating in the shed. One of the videos shows cracks and leaks in the shed.