NAIROBI — A huge fire at Nairobi’s main airport destroyed a key
terminal yesterday and forced the grounding of all flights for a time,
Kenyan officials said. Parts of the roof of Terminal 1 at Jomo Kenyatta
International Airport collapsed in the fire, which began in the early
morning. Many other areas of the building were gutted. There are no
known casualties. The cause is not yet known and the authorities are
investigating. Flights heading to the airport were rerouted to Mombasa
and Eldoret airports in Kenya, and to Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania.
There were reports of chaotic scenes at those airports. Authorities
have advised travellers to contact their carriers because of the
large-scale disruption. Domestic and cargo flights were able to resume
in the afternoon in Nairobi, using a remote part of the airport.
However, the government
said it was not clear when
international flightswould
be able to resume.
Nairobi’s airport is the key
hub for tourists visiting the
East African nation — and
this time of year is the peak tourist season.
The airport is also a vital
transit point for other parts of Africa. Some 16,000 people use it
every day. President Uhuru Kenyatta and several ministers have
visited the scene. “There has been serious disruption to the aviation
operations at the airport. Contingency measures have been put in
place to stabilise the situation and to return the airport to normal
operations,” according to presidential spokesman Manoah Esipisu.
At the peak of the blaze, large flames and huge columns of thick
black smoke billowed from the international arrivals and departure areas.
“The fire was furious. You could see it everywhere. Everything was
in a mess,” said janitor Kevin Maura. There were reports of a slow
initial response by emergency services. Nairobi’s infamous traffic
congestion also held up emergency vehicles. Cabinet Secretary for
Transport and Infrastructure Micheal Kamau is leading the investigation.
“Thousands of passengers, including tourists, had their journeys
disrupted,” Kamau said. “Everything is being done to make sure all
travellers get through.” “Our incoming and outgoing passengers are safe.
There will be a certain disruption to our operations and, as soon as
we get clarity on the extent of the damage, we will advise everyone
on what we intend to do,” said the chief executive of Kenya Airways,
Titus Naikuni. August 7 is the anniversary of the 1998 bombings at
the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam, which killed more
than 220 people. — DPA
No comments :
Post a Comment