Kurds claim responsibility for airport fire that injures three

[Gavur]

The Times May 25, 2006

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-2195776,00.html

By a Correspondent



A large fire broke out in a cargo area at the main airport in Istanbul, injuring three people, causing extensive damage and delaying some flights.

Officials said that the blaze was probably caused by an electrical fault but a Kurdish separatist group claimed responsibility, saying that it was an “act of sabotage” to protest against Turkey’s treatment of the Kurdish minority.



Plumes of black smoke billowed from Ataturk airport. Aircraft normally used for dousing forest fires extinguished the flames. The cargo area is about 1km (0.6 miles) from the passenger terminals. Officials said that the fire had been brought under control. Muammer Güler, the Istanbul Governor, told Turkish television that it may have been caused by an electrical fault.

The Kurdistan Liberation Hawks (TAK), which has links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), said that it was responsible, but the claim could not be independently verified.

TAK has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks on security and civilian targets in Turkish cities. (Reuters)

[Gavur]

Kurdish group says it caused huge Istanbul airport fire

ISTANBUL (AFP) - A radical Kurdish group said it was responsible for a fire at the cargo section of Istanbul's Ataturk airport, the hub of international air travel in Turkey, which slightly injured three people and caused delays in air traffic.

The claim, which could not be confirmed, was made by a group calling itself the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) in a message to Firat, a pro-Kurdish news agency based in Europe.

The Turkish authorities have identified an electrical short circuit as the probable cause of the blaze.

"The sabotage is a response to the policies of massacre followed by the Turkish state towards the Kurds," the message said.

It added that its actions would continue "as long as the extermination policies of the Turkish state against the Kurds are in force."

The Turkish government says the TAK is an offshoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) regarded as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

The PKK denies any links with the TAK, which has targeted the tourist industry and in one attack in July last year planted a bomb that killed a British woman and an Irishwoman.

The blaze started at around 3:30 p.m. (1230 GMT) in Terminal C where outgoing and incoming freight is stored, and the flames were brought under control about an hour later.

"The fire is now completely under control. Cooling-off work in is progress," Irfan Balta, the airport's chief of operations, told the NTV news channel.

Istanbul deputy governor Fikret Kasapoglu said it was not immediately clear what had caused the blaze, but said officials suspected it was triggered by either a short-circuit or goods catching fire from sparks of a welding machine.

Three people were hospitalized with smoke inhalation, and there was extensive damage in the cargo building, he added.

"Large parts of the building caved in. We are trying to prevent the fire from spreading to other cargo holds. But there is no danger at the moment," he told the Anatolia news agency.

He also added that flights were continuing normally.

An official from the state airport authority told AFP earlier that there were delays as some incoming planes were ordered to delay their landings and others were rerouted to the city's second airport on the Asian side of the Bosphorus Strait.

The site of the fire was located at a distance from the international and domestic flights terminal and airline company representatives said passengers were out of danger.

Dozens of firefighters, aided by two fire-fighting planes, were involved in battling the flames which sent flames and huge plumes of black smoke over the airport.

Explosions could be heard as the blaze enveloped the goods kept in the cargo section, Anatolia said.

Ataturk Airport is the country's biggest airport and millions of foreign tourists pass through it each year to fly to Turkish resorts or destinations in the far east.
© AFP 2006
Copyright AFP or Agence France-Presse, 2004.AFP text, photos, graphics and logos shall not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP shall not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP content, or for any actions taken in consequence

[Gavur]

Kurdish Group: We Started Airport Fire

Kurdish Group: We Started Airport Fire
Hardline Militants Claim Responsibility For Istanbul Blaze, But Officials Skeptical

ISTANBUL, Turkey, May 24, 2006




(AP) A hardline Kurdish militant group claimed responsibility for a major fire at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport on Wednesday, a pro-Kurdish news agency reported on its Web site.

The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons Organization, a hardline group linked to the main Kurdish guerrilla group, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, said it started the blaze, which destroyed much of the cargo terminal at the airport, according to the Netherlands-based Firat News Agency's Web site.

Firat News Agency, which often receives information from Kurdish rebel leaders, said it received the claim by e-mail.

The hardline group has claimed eight bombings, which left two dead and 47 injured, in Istanbul this year and recently said tourism and economic targets were among the group's priorities.

Three people were treated for smoke inhalation, said Deputy Gov. Fikret Kasapoglu.

Earlier, Turkish officials ruled out sabotage as a cause of the fire, and the claim could not be independently verified. Authorities gave various explanations for what caused the blaze, which billowed black smoke 100 feet into the air at Turkey's busiest airport before it was brought under control.

Kasapoglu said a short-circuit was to blame, while another deputy governor, Vedat Muftuoglu, told CNN-Turk television at the scene that a spark from a welder's torch caused the fire.

Muftuoglu said there was no sign the blaze was terrorism-related.

Kasapoglu assured passengers that there was no danger and flights were taking place, although with delays.

Private NTV television said the fire began in a section where fuel depots were located.

Planes dropped water onto the flames, and airport authorities said the fire was being tamed. A firefighter atop a tall ladder poured a stream of water on the blaze.

"The fire is under control and we're taking precautions to prevent it from spreading to passenger terminals," said Baris Tozar, the undersecretary of the Transportation Ministry.

"There are no problems concerning flight security," Tozar added.

Airport director Irfan Balta said planes had been successfully moved away from the fire.

The two-story cargo building, located near a hangar housing military aircraft, is used to store international freight arriving in Istanbul. Gov. Muammer Guler of Istanbul said parts of the building collapsed and there was "great financial damage."

Hundreds of uniformed cargo workers who escaped the building in a panic anxiously watched the blaze.

"A huge black cloud came, it smelled like cables burning, the roof started burning," said cargo worker Omer Toplar, adding that there was no explosion.

Sky Turk television showed a female airport worker in uniform, apparently affected by the smoke, being treated by medics. Firefighters were seen moving barrels containing chemicals to a safe area.

Millions of tourists pass through the airport each year to reach Turkish resorts on the Mediterranean or Aegean coast.

Radical Islamic, leftist and Kurdish militants are active in Istanbul and Kurdish militants recently claimed responsibility for a huge fire at an Istanbul factory.


©MMVI, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[ozdemir]

The Times May 25, 2006

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-2195776,00.html

By a Correspondent



A large fire broke out in a cargo area at the main airport in Istanbul, injuring three people, causing extensive damage and delaying some flights.

Officials said that the blaze was probably caused by an electrical fault but a Kurdish separatist group claimed responsibility, saying that it was an “act of sabotage” to protest against Turkey’s treatment of the Kurdish minority.



Plumes of black smoke billowed from Ataturk airport. Aircraft normally used for dousing forest fires extinguished the flames. The cargo area is about 1km (0.6 miles) from the passenger terminals. Officials said that the fire had been brought under control. Muammer Güler, the Istanbul Governor, told Turkish television that it may have been caused by an electrical fault.

The Kurdistan Liberation Hawks (TAK), which has links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), said that it was responsible, but the claim could not be independently verified.

TAK has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks on security and civilian targets in Turkish cities. (Reuters)

Three cheers for the Kurds......another shinning example of humanity!
And Three cheers for those who think this was a good thing.

[imported_RUDO]

Three cheers for the Kurds......another shinning example of humanity!
And Three cheers for those who think this was a good thing.

Not The Kurds?(All Kurds I mean)

But for PKK and other terrorists!!!

Ok???

[imported_RUDO]

Terrifying Hours at Ataturk Airport

Terrifying Hours at Ataturk Airport
By Mustafa Gun, Nergihan Celen, Sezai Kalayci, Serbest Ozden, Istanbul
Thursday, May 25, 2006



The fire at Ataturk Airport caused major panic in Istanbul yesterday. While flames reached to the height of surrounding buildings, the sky was filled with clouds of dark smoke.

The blaze started in the cargo section of the C terminal and spread to an area of 22,000 square meters. Three people were lightly injured while Celebi Cargo, System Logistic and Havas Cargo sustained heavy damage from the fire.

The estimated total damage is said to be nearing $50 million.

Flights were delayed for sometime due to the event where goods worth $10 million from Laleli trade to be exported to Russia were destroyed.

Fire-fighting planes intervened when fire trucks failed to extinguish the fire.

Later brought under control with the use of seawater, the fire was prevented from spreading to the passenger terminal.

Officials said in the area hit by the fire, which started due to a stray spark from welding in progress, a body was being stored while in transit to its home country.

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Kadir Topbas said that the cargo section should not be in close proximity to the airport and that it would be moved to Corlu.

The airport fire teams were the first to react after the fire spread to the departments of System Logistic and Celebi Cargo from the C section of HAVAS cargo.

Planes hired by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality for fighting forest fires intervened by air when the fire started to threaten the surrounding planes.

Two planes, 125 vehicles and 275 staff joined the efforts to extinguish the blaze. Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas cited the benefits of the fire fighting planes hired ten days ago by the Istanbul Municipality.

Nearly 2,000 employees were reportedly in the cargo department during the fire; a HAVAS worker said: “A massive blast occurred all of a sudden when they were working on the air-conditioner inside. Cargo employees evacuated in a panic.”

[bell-the-cat]

Later brought under control with the use of seawater, the fire was prevented from spreading to the passenger terminal.

It would really have been a disaster if their almost brand-new terminal had also gone up in flames.
It's a very nice airport, btw.

[Gavur]

Is this yesilkoy?

[ozdemir]

true

[kerkuk_kurdista]

Just blame everything on the Kurds.
I would not be surprised if Turkey blames us for the next earthquake.

And ozdemir, Turkey denied that the TAK or PKK set fire to it.