Nairobi, Kenya International Airport close down due to Fire

The Kenyan authorities ordered the closure on Wednesday of Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the busiest in the country, after a huge fire broke out and spread to the international arrivals area, officials said.

 The blaze shut down one of East Africa’s most important transportation hubs, with only emergency landings permitted. The fire broke out around 5 a.m., when many flights to and from Europe and elsewhere are scheduled. It was contained after several hours, Kenyan officials said, but there was no indication of when the airport would reopen.

Many incoming flights were diverted to the Indian Ocean coastal city of Mombasa.

The fire broke out less than two days after problems with a fuel jet pump forced the diversion of flights to other regional airports including those of Mombasa, Entebbe International Airport in Uganda and Kigali International Airport in Rwanda, Reuters reported.

More: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/08/world/africa/huge-fire-shuts-down-nairobis-international-airport.html