Flights resume in Nairobi after blaze - Sema Naye
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Flights resume in Nairobi after blaze

Written By Sema Naye - Naipenda Tanzania on Friday, August 9, 2013 | 3:21 AM

Some international flights began landing in Kenya again Thursday after a massive fire that ravaged the nation's main airport, forcing the closure of a crucial regional hub
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta visits the Nairobi airport on August 7 to check out the damage. The blaze could have a huge impact on Kenya's tourism and commerce.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta visits the Nairobi airport on August 7 to check out the damage. The blaze could have
 a huge impact on Kenya's tourism and commerce.
Travelers walk to be taken to hotels after the airport initially was closed August 7 following the fire. <!-- -->
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Travelers walk to be taken to hotels after the airport initially was closed August 7 following the fire.
 The extensive damage is evident in the charred interior of the airport.
 The extensive damage is evident in the charred interior of the airport.
 A firefighter douses a hot spot on August 7.
 A firefighter douses a hot spot on August 7.
 Firefighters work to put out the blaze on August 7.
 Firefighters work to put out the blaze on August 7.
 Authorities stand outside the burning airport on August 7.
 Authorities stand outside the burning airport on August 7. Heavy smoke rises from the airport's main building on August 7.
 Heavy smoke rises from the airport's main building on August 7.
Stranded passengers wait outside the airport August 7.
 Stranded passengers wait outside the airport August 7.
A soldier stands among the debris August 7. The cause of the fire is uknown, but security is being ramped up at the airport, an official said.A soldier stands among the debris August 7. The cause of the fire is uknown, but security is being ramped up at the airport, an official said.
The damage appears extensive at the airport after the massive fire August 7. The damage appears extensive at the airport after the massive fire August 7.  

Firefighters shoot a water cannon on flames outside the Nairobi airport August 7.
 Firefighters shoot a water cannon on flames outside the Nairobi airport August 7.
Firefighters try to control a blaze at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday, August 7. Fire engulfed the airport's entire international terminal, but no casualties were reported. Domestic flights have resumed, and some international ones are set to begin again Thursday, August 8, a Kenyan official said. Firefighters try to control a blaze at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday, August 7. Fire engulfed the airport's entire international terminal, but no casualties were reported. Domestic flights have resumed, and some international ones are set to begin again Thursday, August 8, a Kenyan official said.  


STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  •     NEW: Airport officials say they've set up tents to service the international area
  •     The fire at the main Kenyan airport destroyed the international terminal
  •     It forced the closure of the airport after ravaging the international arrivals section
  •     No casualties were reported





Kenya is East Africa's largest economy and has made a big push to carve out its space in the global market. Tea, horticulture and tourism all bring in about $1 billion in revenue each year.


The airport also offers connections to Europe, the Middle East and other African nations, with about 16,000 passengers passing through daily, officials said.

After a visit to the scene Wednesday, President Uhuru Kenyatta reassured travelers and the aviation industry that the nation is doing everything to ensure a return to normalcy, the government spokesman said.

Some witnesses said the fire began in the customs section, while others said it started in the duty-free area, parts of which had been demolished as part of airport construction last week.

U.S. President Barack Obama offered America's support to the nation after the fire, which occurred on the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

In a call to Kenyatta, Obama expressed condolences to the loved ones of those killed and wounded in the terror attacks, and highlighted his commitment to fighting terrorism, the White House said in a prepared statement.

In the 1998 near-simultaneous attacks, 224 people died and about 4,500 were wounded.

The fire also came days after the United States issued a worldwide travel alert and closed embassies and consulates in large areas of the Middle East and Africa, though Kenya and Tanzania were not among them.
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