Kenya Airport fire Update 3: Kenya Airways says all staffers safe

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Kenya Airways has said all its staffers and customers are safe following the huge fire that gutted the arrival terminal of the country’s main gateway Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the nation’s capital, Nairobi, early Wednesday.

In a twitter update, Kenya Airways Chief Executive Officer Titus Naikuni also said the airline had cancelled all its flight till further notice.

‘All our staff and customers are safe and there is no damage to the aircraft,’ Dr. Naikuni said, adding that five Kenya Airways flights had been diverted to Mombasa and all transit passengers taken to hotels in Nairobi and Mombasa.

He however said one staff and a passenger had ‘slight smoke inhalation and are safe in hospital for further investigation’.

PANA reports that the fire, which started about 5 a.m. local time on Wednesday, continued for several hours as firemen battled to bring it under control.

The fire forced an indefinite closure of the airport and the diversion of incoming flights to other airports.

The police said there had been no deaths due to the fire incident, which has now been largely contained.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, accompanied by some of his cabinet members, has visited the airport, which is a regional hub, to see the extent of damage caused by the fire.