A large fire in the cargo area of Istanbul's main Ataturk Airport has been brought under control this evening.
A large cloud of smoke over Istanbul's Ataturk Airport
The fire, believed to have been caused by an electrical fault, sent towering plumes of black smoke billowed up from the airport which serves Turkey's largest city. Planes normally used for water bombing forest fires swooped down to douse the flames.
Three people were injured in the blaze, and an assessment of the damage will begin later once the area had cooled down, officials said.
Fire engines and ambulances rushed to the scene.
"People panicked when they saw the huge smoke. It was a close shave because it was so near to the international passenger terminal," Mustafa Alpa, a tour guide at the airport, said.
The cargo area is about 1,000 metres from the main passenger terminals at Turkey's largest and busiest airport.
Rescue workers carried away airport employees overcome by the toxic smoke. Some people fainted, eyewitnesses said.
The fire broke out around 12.30pm in the cargo section of Terminal C, which is used by smaller airlines, mostly from the former Soviet bloc.