Wia dis foto come from, Marco Pajo
- Author, Christian Fuller
- Role, BBC News, South East
- Twitter,
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Large section of one of Gatwick Airport two terminals don dey evacuated after dem find one suspected banned item inside pesin luggage.
Passengers no fit enter di South Terminal since 10:55 GMT.
“Safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority,” one airport spokesperson tok.
Sussex Police say EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team don dey deployed just to be on di safe side.
“To ensure di safety of di public, staff and oda airport users, security barrier don dey put in place while we dey deal with di mata,” one police spokesperson tok.
“Dis dey cause ogbonge disruption and some roads around di South Terminal don dey closed. We go advise di public to avoid di area where possible.”
‘Waiting with no guarantees’
Laurence Kemball-Cook, wey suppose fly to Portugal, say e and im family face delay of up to 90 minutes to get through security.
“We siddon there waiting for a flight wey dem delay small and one of di staff rush over and say ‘you need to evacuate right now’. So I run down di corridor, pick up my partner and di baby, wey bin dey change, and den dem bin dey rush everyone out of di main terminal,” e tok.
“Now, we dey wait with no guarantees of wen e go leave.
“I fit see di plane but e look like di whole airport dey shut shut down and no-one, none of di police, dey say anything to us.”
Wia dis foto come from, Eddie Mitchell
Di airport, for West Sussex, say di evacuation na just to dey careful – a precaution – while dem continue to investigate.
“Passengers no go dey able to enter di South Terminal while e dey go on,” di airport spokesperson tok.
“We dey work to resolve di issue as quickly as possible.”
Railway services also no dey stop for Gatwick Airport station until approximately 14:00 GMT, National Rail Enquiries tok.
One Southern spokesperson advise passengers not to travel to Gatwick.
“At present, dem dey evacuate di station and airport while police dey deal with one incident,” dem tok.
Thameslink, Southern and Gatwick Express services dey affected.
National Highways say long delays dey from junction 9 of di M23 as you dey approach Gatwick.
Wia dis foto come from, Marco Pajo
Local bus services also don dey affected and no fit run to Gatwick, according to Southern.
“We also don dey advised of local road closures too, so if you dey drive to di airport, please be aware of dis wen planning your journey,” one spokesperson tok.
London Victoria railway station dey also advise those travelling to avoid heading to Gatwick Airport.
Station announcements and screens dey advise di public to not travel towards di area and to wait for Victoria Station.
Di north terminal no dey affected by di evacuation.
‘Crowds dey build up’
Meanwhile, travel journalist Simon Calder say about 100,000 passengers go dey fly in and out of Gatwick Airport today.
About half of those passengers go use di south terminal, e tok.
“Flights still dey land. But if dem dey land for di South Terminal, pipo dey go di gate as normal, but den dem no dey commot for di air bridge to walk out into international arrivals, dem dey put dem on buses to di North Terminal to do processing there.
“E go mean say plenty crowd build up, and dem no fit leave di North Terminal to go di station.”
Wetin we know so far
- London Gatwick Airport South Terminal dey evacuated at 10:55 GMT dis morning following a “security incident”
- The North Terminal no dey affected
- Sussex Police issue statement say dem dispatch Explosive Ordnance Disposal team to di airport “as a precaution” after di discovery of di suspected prohibited item inside one luggage
- Gatwick don advise passengers to check with their airline if dem suppose fly from di airport today
- National Rail announce say no services go stop for di airport as police continue to investigate di incident – dem expect di situation to continue until around 14:00 GMT
- More dan 300 flights dey scheduled to comot from Gatwick north and south terminals today
- Passengers say dem dey “wait with no guarantees” as to hen dem go dey able to travel