The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on Monday night undertook an emergency visit to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, following the fire outbreak at Terminal 1 of the airport.
Mr Keyamo said he arrived at the airport at about midnight and joined the Managing Director and management team of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), who were coordinating response efforts to contain the fire.
The minister commended FAAN personnel and other first responders for what he described as the swift activation of established emergency procedures.
According to him, the prompt and coordinated actions of the responders were instrumental in safeguarding lives and limiting the impact of the incident.
Mr Keyamo said he directed FAAN’s Fire and Rescue Department, alongside the Lagos State Fire Service, to maintain an overnight vigil at the airport to ensure the fire was completely extinguished.
He added that he would undertake a tour of the airport at dawn to assess the extent of damage caused by the fire and issue necessary directives.
Background
The fire, which broke out on Monday at Terminal 1 of the airport, prompted an emergency response and the temporary closure of the Lagos airfield.
FAAN earlier confirmed that 14 persons trapped in the Control Tower were safely rescued with the support of a crane, while six people, three males and three females, sustained injuries and are in stable condition.
Preliminary findings by the fire service indicated that the fire originated from the server room on the first floor of the terminal.
As part of safety measures, the sixth floor of the facility was evacuated, and the airspace was temporarily shut while the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) worked to establish a temporary control tower to restore operations. Flight operations resumed at the airport on Monday evening.
