Delhi airport canopy collapse: Taxi driver killed was sole breadwinner

The tragic incident that unfolded at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport's Terminal 1 on Friday, where the roof collapsed after heavy rain, led to the death of taxi driver Ramesh Kumar.

The 45-year-old was rescued from his car, which had been crushed by a fallen iron beam, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival at Medanta Hospital.

Ramesh, a resident of Vijay Vihar in Rohini, Delhi, was the sole breadwinner for his family, which includes two sons and two daughters. His sudden death has left his family in a state of profound shock and grief.

“We received a call at 8:30 am in the morning. They told us that our father fainted at the airport and has been taken to the hospital. But they did not tell us that such a tragedy had occurred,” said Ravindra, Ramesh’s son.

 

VIDEO | “We received the information in the morning that my father has fainted at the airport. When we went there, police officers asked us to go to the police station with them. We asked them several times in which hospital they had admitted him. There was no response. At around… pic.twitter.com/wD0SrZGyJ7

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 29, 2024

Ravindra recounted the family’s ordeal, stating, “When we went to the airport and asked the cops what was happening, they took us to a police station and kept us there till 4 pm. Then they took us to the hospital, but did not tell us that he had died. After waiting for 2-3 hours, we were asked to come the next day and collect the body after the post-mortem.”

The family's anguish is exacerbated by the looming financial burden, especially with the upcoming weddings of Ramesh’s daughters. They have called for a judicial inquiry into the incident and are seeking adequate compensation from the government.

The incident had occurred around 5 am, when the canopy covering the departure area of Terminal 1 collapsed, trapping several people and damaging parked cars.

Heavy rain, which began at around 3 am, was a contributing factor to the structural failure.

Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu visited the site on Friday to inspect the damage.

He announced that all structures at Delhi airport, as well as similar structures at other airports nationwide, would undergo thorough inspections.

“The technical reasons and other aspects of the incident will be known after the investigation,” Naidu told reporters. He also announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for Ramesh’s family and Rs 3 lakh for those injured in the incident.

“I have also met the injured who are admitted to AIIMS. It is the commitment of the government that whenever such a crisis has occurred, we have worked hard and restored normalcy...What happened in T1 is unfortunate but this will be investigated,” the minister added.

(With agency inputs)