A strong odor prompted authorities to evacuate part of a major
US airport Saturday morning and 11 people complained of symptoms
related to the odor.
The odor was detected in Terminal B of Newark Liberty
International Airport, N. J. at about 11 AM, and witnesses said it
smelt like natural gas, according to the Port Authority of New York
and New Jersey, which operates the airport.
Part of the terminal was closed and evacuated, but was re-opened
in the afternoon.
Port Authority spokesman Pasquale DiFulco said 11 people, most
of them security personnel at the airport, complained of symptoms
related to the odor.
Two of them were later hospitalized with nausea and dizziness,
but they are now in good condition.
Some inbound flights were diverted to another part of the
terminal and three outbound flights were delayed.
However, the overall operation of the airport was normal through
the incident.
Authorities are investigating a possible gas leak but haven't
detected any natural gas or carbon monoxide in the air.
Newark Liberty International Airport is one of three major
international airports in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan
area, along with John F. Kennedy International Airport and
LaGuardia Airport.
It is the tenth busiest airport in the United States and the
nation's fifth busiest international air gateway.
In 2006, Newark Airport handled about 36 million passengers.
(Xinhua News Agency November 18, 2007)
