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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Major fire at Istambul airport; TAK claims responsibility |
| 2006-05-24 |
| Fire swept through a cargo area at Istanbul's main Ataturk Airport on Wednesday, injuring three people, causing extensive damage and delaying some flights. Officials said the blaze was probably sparked by an electrical fault but a shadowy Kurdish separatist group later claimed responsibility, saying it was an "act of sabotage" to protest against Turkey's treatment of the Kurdish minority. Fire engines and ambulances rushed to the scene, where plumes of black smoke billowed from the airport which serves Turkey's largest city. Planes normally used for water bombing forest fires swooped down to douse the flames. "People panicked when they saw the huge smoke. It was a close shave because it was so near to the international passenger terminal," Mustafa Alpa, a tour guide at the airport, told Reuters. The cargo area is about a kilometre (half mile) from the passenger terminals at Turkey's largest and busiest airport. Rescue workers carried away airport employees overcome by smoke. Some people fainted, eyewitnesses said. General director of state airport authority, Mahmut Tekin, said the fire had been brought under control and that "there is no problem with air traffic but some flights are delayed". ELECTRICAL FAULT Istanbul governor Muammer Guler told Turkish television that the blaze may have been caused by an electrical fault. "There has been no loss of life, but we have suffered large-scale material damage," he said. Officials did not mention the possibility of foul play, but a group called the Kurdistan Liberation Hawks (TAK) claimed responsibility, according to the Europe-based Firat news agency which is the group's mouthpiece. There was no way of independently confirming the claim. TAK, which has links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) battling security forces in mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey, has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks on security and civilian targets in Istanbul and other Turkish cities. Istanbul Deputy Governor Fikret Kasapoglu told Turkish NTV television news channel that three people had been hurt in the blaze and had been taken to hospital. The fire broke out around 3:30 pm (1230 GMT) in the cargo section of Terminal C, which is used by smaller airlines, mostly from the former Soviet bloc. Turkish television said the electricity network had been affected and that passengers were being checked in manually. |
| Posted by:lotp |