UPDATE - Blast reported outside Cairo’s international airport

ADDS DETAILS, MINOR CHANGES

By Gulsen Topcu

CAIRO (AA) – A huge explosion rocked an area outside Cairo International Airport late Thursday, according to media reports.

The blast was followed by a fire, according to Egyptian state television.

The fire broke out in a fuel tank belonging to a private company close to the airport and was brought under control, it said.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Basim Abdulkareem, a spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Ministry, said the explosion and fire rocked an area far from the airport.

The ministry also said in a written statement that air traffic at the airport was normal.

But Mohammed Saeed Mahrous, chairman of the Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation, said some flights were suspended for security purposes.

There are no casualties, Mahrous added.

He said the explosion took place in a tank of petroleum materials belonging to a petrochemical company on the road to the airport.