On Friday afternoon, London City Airport was evacuated for what the BBC is describing as a “suspected chemical incident,” which pushed least 500 passengers out of the terminal. The incident launched a fire-alarm exit when several travelers reportedly experienced difficulty breathing. Currently, the London Fire Brigade has dispatched equipment to aid with chemical incidents, while emergency services treated at least 25 patients. Two patients were taken to the hospital with their health status unknown.
CNN reports a statement from London’s Metropolitan Police, which relayed how “the airport has been evacuated as precaution.” At present, there’s no forthcoming information on the cause of this event at the East London airport. In addition, social media-based accounts from eyewitnesses aren’t too accessible today after a widespread hacking attack in the US.
Chris Daly, who tweeted the above photo, told the BBC, “When we got into the airport terminal building, we could hear the fire alarms going on, then there were announcements in three different languages saying this is a fire alarm.” Twitter user David Haye, who was en route to Scotland, observed several travelers who “started coughing uncontrollably” as the evacuation began.
This story is developing, and we will update as more information arrives.