Monsoon arrives in Delhi, city records heaviest June rainfall in 88 years

Monsoon devastation in Delhi: Terminal-1 roof collapse, flight operations affected, heavy rainfall, traffic snarls, and tragic casualties.

The monsoon arrived in Delhi on June 28, with rains causing devastation across the city. A three-hour downpour led to the roof of Delhi Airport’s Terminal-1 collapsing, killing one person and flight operations were affected.

The Safdarjung Observatory, the city's primary weather station, recorded 228.1 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 a.m. on June 28, more than three times the June rainfall average of 74.1 mm and the highest for the month in 88 years — since 1936.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), which defines very heavy rain as rainfall amounting to between 124.5 and 244.4 mm in a day, said later in the morning that the monsoon has arrived. The downpour began around 3 am.

The early morning rain, which brought India’s national capital to its knees, claimed at least one more life with a 39-year-old man electrocuted in Rohini. Three labourers were trapped when an under-construction wall in Vasant Vihar collapsed early in the morning and rescue operations continued till evening, their hopes of survival dimming with each passing minute.

Delhiites woke up to water entering homes, submerging vehicles and leading to miles-long traffic snarls that took hours to detangle. Thousands of commuters were stranded as tunnels, including the one at Pragati Maidan, were closed. Reports of homes being flooded came in from across the city, including upscale areas of Lutyens Delhi, Hauz Khas, South Extension and Mayur Vihar on the first day of heavy rain.

The destruction took a tragic turn at the Delhi Airport's busy Terminal 1. Around 5 a.m., a massive canopy covering the departure area gave way, trapping several people. Besides the roof sheet, support beams collapsed, pinning down parked cars.

A taxi driver, identified as Ramesh Kumar, was rescued from a car on which an iron beam had fallen but was declared dead when he was taken to the Medanta Hospital facility near the terminal. The injured were admitted to the hospital "… flights to & from Terminal 1 have been closed till further notice. Alternate arrangements are being made for the smooth operation of the flights," the Civil Aviation ministry said in a post on X.