New Delhi, Aug 21 - Heavy rains lashed Delhi Friday evening, bringing the national capital to a virtual halt with familiar scenes of waterlogged roads, chocked sewers and long lines of vehicles in traffic snarls.

The heavy showers started around 2.30 p.m. and according to the Met Office, Delhi received 74 mm of rainfall in just two hours. The downpour brought the day temperature down to 22 degrees Celsius, an official at the Safdarjung Meteorological Office said.

Within an hour of the showers, there was chaos on the Delhi streets with reports of waterlogging on several arterial roads, delayed flights, red lights going on the blink and chocked drains.

Flights out of the national capital were either rescheduled or cancelled. A portion of the new domestic terminal building was also damaged due to the rain.

'The sudden downpour required us to first divert all incoming flights,' said an official at the Air Traffic Control. 'We also advised all airlines to hold outgoing flights till the conditions improve.'

'In this downpour, a small portion of the roof above Terminal 1D caved in. No one was injured in the incident,' the official said, adding that the damage was not significant.

Traffic policemen were seen struggling to manage the traffic at several places as several cars and buses broke down, leading to serpentine traffic jams.

People returning home from offices were stranded on waterlogged roads for hours.