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Firefighters were battling a fire outbreak at Terminal 1 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria.
The Whistler reports that the cause of the fire had yet to be ascertained as of the time of the report.
Thick smoke was seen billowing from the terminal building.
The Punch reports that the fire outbreak disrupted flight operations, stranded passengers, and triggered diversions of international flights, damaging airport equipment, and triggering a massive multi-agency emergency response.
The incident, which began around 3.00 pm, was still being battled by firefighters as of 7.00 pm when the report was filed.
The affected terminal, part of the airport’s o0older infrastructure and currently undergoing renovation, had earlier been earmarked for total remodelling following the approval of 712 billion naira by the Federal Executive Council for its rehabilitation.
About 12 staff members were reportedly trapped inside the control tower when the incident started. They were later rescued using a construction crane. Since the fire affected control tower operations, aircraft could neither land nor take off following the incident.
