Air travellers across Africa are facing long delays after a huge fire ripped through the main airport in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, forcing its closure.
Hundreds of passengers have been left stranded outside Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
It has reopened for cargo and domestic services, though many flights have been diverted to other regional airports.
The Kenyan authorities say no casualties have been reported and that the blaze has been contained.
The cause of the fire is not yet known. Security officials
say they are waiting to inspect the damage before drawing any
conclusions.
However, correspondents say the airport is old and overcrowded.
'Slow response'
The fire started in the airport's international arrivals and
immigration area at around 05:00 (02:00 GMT) and spread quickly. Dark
smoke was seen billowing into the sky above Nairobi as the blaze took
hold.
Passengers arriving on international flights - some still in
their seats - reported hearing explosions from the terminal building.
"When I arrived there were one or two fire engines parked
outside the international arrivals. It spread very fast,'' British
passenger, Martyn Collbeck, told the Associated Press. "I would have
expected more fire engines to respond faster."
Fire engines battled through Nairobi's
infamous traffic jams to reach the airport. Witnesses said some did not
arrive until one or two hours after the fire began. Many engines also
quickly ran out of water.
It took about four hours to bring the fire under control, by
which time the arrivals hall had been gutted. There were no immediate
reports of any deaths of serious injuries, although two people were
treated for smoke inhalation.
International flights carrying business travellers and
tourists were initially diverted to the southern coastal city of
Mombasa.
Later, flights were also diverted to Eldoret in the
north-west and Kisumu in the west, as well as Dar es Salaam in Tanzania,
and Entebbe in Uganda. Passengers faced bus journeys of hundreds of
miles to reach Nairobi.
Passengers outside the airport said they had been stranded
with no information, reports the BBC's Emmanuel Igunza at the airport.
"This is too much. It was very nice here but this is just a mess," said
Medr Gudru, a German tourist who had hoped to fly home on Wednesday.
"The airlines are working to assist stranded
passengers and advise them on the measures being put in place to resume
services at JKIA,'' said Stephen Gichuki, director of the Kenyan
Airports Authority (KAA).
On Wednesday afternoon, almost 12 hours after the fire began,
government officials said the airport had reopened for domestic and
cargo flights.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport Michael Kamau told reporters that the
authorities would begin preparing the small domestic terminal for
handling international departures and arrivals.
"We started pitching tents on the airside for handling departing passengers," he added.
President Uhuru Kenyatta - whose father the airport is named
after - has toured the remains of the international arrivals hall to see
the damage. The building was gutted by the fire and the roof has
partially collapsed. The floor is covered in debris and water.
Disastrous'
The airport is a regional hub and a vital part of Kenya's
tourism industry, reports BBC Africa correspondent Andrew Harding in
Johannesburg.
"President Kenyatta wishes to reassure the
entire aviation industry, investors, local and international travellers
that everything is being done to resume normal operations," presidential
spokesman Manoah Esipisu said.
A third of Europe's flower imports, and many fresh vegetables, also come from Kenya.
"This is disastrous," Jane Ngige, chief executive officer of
the exporters association, Kenya Flower Council, told the Reuters news
agency.
Shares in Kenya Airways, which uses the airport as its main hub, fell 2% after the fire.
Foreign airlines which use the terminal include British
Airways, Emirates, Qatar Airways, KLM, Turkish Airways, South African
Airways and Ethiopian Airways.
Kenya Airways said flights from London and Bangkok would land
as scheduled in Nairobi on Thursday morning, according to the Reuters
news agency.
British Airways said it was in contact with the authorities
to provide customers due to travel with as much information and notice
as possible.
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