960412

Duesseldorf airport

shut after blaze

DUESSELDORF, (Germany): Germany's Duesseldorf airport, where 16 people died in a blaze that sucked toxic fumes through ventilation ducts, will remain closed for at least the next three days, aviation authorities said on Friday.

An airport spokesman said incoming flights would be redirected to nearby Cologne/Bonn airport and also to Germany's biggest airport, Frankfurt. This was likely to mean delays of up to 90 minutes for passengers.

He said Duesseldorf airport would remain closed at least until Monday morning.

Dozens of victims were still being treated in hospital after inhaling the toxic black fumes which spread through the airport's ventilation system within seconds of the fire breaking out, probably in a flower shop in the arrivals concourse.

Most of the 16 killed in Thursday's blaze appeared to have choked to death, some of them in a lift which jammed.

ARD television said the dead included seven Germans, six French, two Britons and an Italian, but there was still no official information on their identities.

At least 60 more people suffered serious injuries from smoke inhalation, but police said none were critical. As many people again suffered lesser injuries from the smoke.

It was still not clear what started the blaze, but fire officials said on Thursday they believed it could have been sparks from electric tools or welding equipment which had been used near the flower shop.

Firefighters battled for over five hours to tame the blaze as it swept through Duesseldorf's Terminal A, which primarily serves German airline Lufthansa's domestic and international flights.-Reuter