3 children, mother killed in house collapse as storm wreaks havoc in Delhi; flight operations hit
New Delhi, May 2 : Four members of a family, including three children, died after a house collapsed in Delhi’s Najafgarh area early Friday morning, as a powerful storm system brought heavy rain and strong winds to the national capital, disrupting normal life, grounding flights, and flooding roads.
“We received a call regarding a house collapse in Kharkari Nahar village in Najafgarh at 5.25 am. Multiple teams were sent to the spot and four people were rescued from the rubble,” said an official of the Delhi Fire Services. All four were rushed to a nearby hospital where they were declared dead, he added.
Triggered by dense cloud cover, the pre-monsoon thunderstorm swept through Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) around dawn, knocking down trees, damaging infrastructure, and causing widespread waterlogging in areas such as the Dwarka underpass, Minto Road, Lajpat Nagar, and Khanpur.
Flight operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport were significantly affected. At least three incoming flights were diverted—two to Jaipur and one to Ahmedabad—while more than 100 flights were delayed, according to data from Flightradar24.
Air India also reported disruptions to its operations across northern India. “Some of our flights to and from Delhi are delayed or diverted, which may impact our overall flight schedule. We are doing our best to reduce delays,” the airline said.
The IGI Airport, the busiest in the country, handles around 1,300 flight movements daily
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a red alert for Delhi at 7 am, warning of heavy rain, lightning, and gusty winds ranging from 40 to 90 km/hr. It later revised the alert to orange as conditions marginally improved.
Wind speeds reached up to 78 km/hr at Pragati Maidan, 74 at Palam, and over 60 in Pitampura and Najafgarh. Rainfall levels varied across the city, with Safdarjung recording 77 mm, Lodhi Road 78 mm, Pitampura 32 mm, and Palam 30 mm, according to IMD data.
The storm brought a sudden drop in temperatures, with the mercury plunging from 26.8°C on Thursday night to around 19°C on Friday morning, offering temporary relief from the ongoing heatwave. The IMD has forecast more rain and gusty winds until May 7, with daytime temperatures expected to remain between 26°C and 35°C.
As a safety measure, authorities urged residents to remain indoors, avoid sheltering under trees, unplug appliances, and stay away from metal structures and water bodies. The IMD also warned of tree falls, power cuts, and communication line disruptions.
Notably, the heavy rain and strong winds significantly improved Delhi’s air quality, which had been in the “poor” category for weeks. Pollution levels dropped to “moderate,” prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management to lift emergency curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
-PTI
