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Chemical leak blamed on London City Airport evacuation
Police say a suspected chemical leak caused the evacuation of London City Airport on Friday.
Hundreds of passengers and crew were told to leave the building after fire alarms went off at about 4pm on Friday and aircraft were grounded with arrivals diverted to other airports.
A number of passengers complained of feeling ill. Twenty six people were treated on site and two were taken to hospital, according to London Ambulance, which tweeted earlier: "We are very busy following the incident at London City Airport. Only call us in a genuine emergency."
London Fire Brigade, which had sent appliances used to deal with chemical incidences, declared the incident ‘over’ at around 7pm. It is believed the incident was caused by ‘accidental discharge of CS gas spray’. It is not thought to be terrorist related.
A police statement said: "Whilst the cause of the incident has not yet been confirmed, officers are investigating whether it was the result of an accidental discharge of the spray.
"Enquiries continue. This is not being treated as a terrorist-related incident. At this early stage officers believe that the spray may have been discarded by a passenger prior to check-in."
London City thanked passengers for their patience.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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