Quake closes Santiago international airport

SANTIAGO, Feb 27, 2010 (AFP) - The powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Chile on Saturday damaged the passenger terminal at Santiago's main airport and forced the site to close, officials said here.

Runways at the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport however were not damaged, said Chile's office of Civil Aeronautics.


The airport was initially closed for 24 hours but local news, citing airport sources, said it will not reopen to commercial flights before Tuesday.

Images broadcast on Chilean TV showed debris from ceiling material at the international flight terminal, and damage at the immigration processing area and at the passenger boarding area. A walkway leading to the main terminal also collapsed.

Public Works Minister Sergio Bitar said that engineers were determining the safety of the control tower.

Flights from places like Madrid, Paris and Panama that were in the air when the quake struck were diverted to Mendoza and Buenos Aires, in neighboring Argentina, where more than 1,000 passengers took over hotels in the city.

LAN Chile, the country's main airline, said in a statement that 17 of their flights, including domestic flights, were diverted to "alternative airports," according to standard safety procedures.


by Amy Coopes
© 2010 AFP