Delhi hit by thunderstorm fury: 4 killed in house collapse, flights disrupted

Heavy rain and thunderstorm lashed Delhi on Friday causing widespread disruptions across the city, including water logging and uprooting of trees.

Due to the extreme winds, a devastating incident occurred in Kharkhari Nahar village near Jaffarpur Kalan in Dwarka area of South West Delhi, resulting in the death of four members of a family while they were asleep as a tree fell on their room.

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The victims, identified as Jyoti (26), and their three children, were trapped under the debris. Emergency services, including the police and fire brigade, were swiftly deployed to the scene. The injured were rushed to RTR Hospital in Jaffarpur Kalan, where Jyoti and the three children were declared dead.

Her husband, Ajay, was the sole survivor of the incident, sustaining minor injuries. In another incident of wall collapse due to the rain, three people, including two teenage boys, sustained injuries in Paparawat village of Dwarka.

According to Delhi Fire Services (DFS), a total of 98 emergency calls were received from 5 am, most of which were related to uprooting of trees.

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), the city recorded a total of 77 mm rainfall at Safdarjung station, while 45.6 mm rainfall was recorded at Palam station.

Meanwhile, flight operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) faced major disruptions due to the severe weather.

According to Flightradar24, an online flight tracking website, at least three inbound flights were diverted — two to Jaipur and one to Ahmedabad — while over 200 flights experienced delay.

In an advisory at 5:20 am, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) informed passengers that due to the inclement weather conditions and thunderstorms, some flights have been impacted.

Moreover in a subsequent advisory at 7:25 am, DIAL confirmed that some flights have been impacted, however, the authority did not share the exact number of affected flights.

“We are experiencing massive ATC (Air Traffic Control) congestion due to bad weather in Delhi (DEL). All departures, arrivals, and their consequential flights may be impacted,” SpiceJet in its advisory on X posted.

Additionally, Air India too in its advisory on X posted, “Thunderstorms and gusty winds have affected flight operations in parts of Northern India. Some of our flights to and from Delhi are being delayed, which is likely to impact our overall flight schedule. We are doing our best to minimize disruptions.”

Several areas of the city witnessed water logging disrupting commuters especially the office goers who had to face a difficulty as heavy traffic congestion put a brake on the cars due to the rain.

Heavy traffic congestion was reported in almost every part of the city including ISBT Kashmere Gate, ITO, Moti Bagh, Patparganj, Palam Airport and Lajpat Nagar among other areas.

The traffic congestion was caused due to waterlogging on the roads in parts of the city, Delhi Traffic Police officials said.