Passengers, workers and traders fled in panic on Monday afternoon as fire broke out at the arrival section of the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport in Owerri, capital of Imo State.

“The cause of the inferno was not immediately ascertained, but a source at the airport said that there was an ongoing renovation at the arrival section, which was affected,” a PUNCH report on the incident said.

It said that “the inferno, which raged for 50 minutes, started around 2:10pm,” adding: “It took spirited efforts from men of the fire service and the airport workers for the fire to be quenched.”

The report quoted an unnamed source as saying: “It happened at the arrival department of the airport where the authority was carrying out renovation work.

“It would have caused bigger havoc but for the arrival of men of the fire service.

“It started around 2:10pm and raged for 50 minutes. It damaged equipment and infrastructure, but the rescue work assisted in savaging the situation.”