Portion of false ceiling of Chinese-made airport in Islamabad collapses due to heavy rains

The ceiling of the Chinese-made Islamabad International Airport partially collapsed following the latest round of downpour on Monday.

The video of the incident has gone viral on social media. The rainwater poured down from the ceilings above several counters including immigration and caused computers and other equipment to malfunction.

The airport staff stood by helplessly as parts of the ceiling came crashing down due to the weight of water, Dawn reported.

The officials expressed the hope that such incidents would not happen again.

Inaugurated in 2018, the construction of the airport was undertaken by China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), one of the largest state-owned construction companies in China.

A major portion of the false ceiling at the airport's international departure and concourse hall collapsed during a downpour in August 2020.

Heavy leakage of water was observed in the hall after that incident but no one was injured.

"The design of the outer ceilings is such that it allows for entry and circulation of air in areas where there is no air-conditioning. During high-speed winds, we sometimes encounter with such a situation," Aviation Division spokesman Senior Joint Secretary Abdul Sattar Khokhar said at the time.

Hardly seven months into its completion, a number of incidents such as the collapse of the false ceiling, choking of sewerage lines and presence of stinking water in offices occurred since the airport became functional.

( With inputs from ANI )