What happened on Friday at Delhi Airport was nothing less than alarming, leaving a cab driver dead and eight people injured.

This threw flights at the terminal into disarray.

A bigger tragedy was averted as eyewitnesses said around 100 people were present at the spot when the incident took place.

The canopy had tilted before coming down, which allowed most of the people to escape.

The deceased was identified as Ramesh Kumar (45), who lived with his family at Vijay Vihar in Rohini. He had come to drop a passenger and was about to head home when the incident took place.

A case under IPC Sections 304A (causing death by negligence) and 337 (causing hurt by an act endangering life or personal safety of others) has been registered by police and an investigation launched. Delhi International Airport Ltd has formed a technical committee to probe the incident. Govt sources said the structure that collapsed had been erected in 2008-09, as reported by TOI.

Those undergoing treatment at different hospitals are Santosh Kumar Yadav (28), Dasarath Ahirwar (25), Arvind (34), Sahil Sudan (27) and Yogesh Dhawan (44).

The injured include a cab driver, airport staff and a passenger. Three other people, all passengers, apparently told police they didn't sustain any serious injuries.

The canopy, spanning from departure gates 1 to 2, collapsed around 5am. Four vehicles, including the one in which a taxi driver lost his life, were crushed by the structure.