Electrical fault causes fire at Jordan airport

Amman, Jul 3: A fire which broke out today in the main terminal of the international airport on the outskirts of Amman was caused by an electric circuit, airport officials said.

The head of Jordan's civil aviation authority, Suleiman Obeidat, said the fire started on the upper floor of the main airport terminal near the duty free shop.

''There was an electric circuit and no injuries were reported involving passengers or employees,'' Obeidat told the state news agency Petra without elaborating.

But the Alia International Airport was evacuated as a precautionary step and international flights were diverted to a smaller airport in the Jordanian capital, airport officials said.

Few other details emerged about the extent of the damage to the airport facility. Firefighters were attempting to extinguish the fire and a heavy security cordon was imposed by anti-riot police, civil defence workers and security officials around the airport compound, witnesses said.

REUTERS