A strong odor prompted authorities to evacuate part of a major US airport Saturday morning and 11 people complained of symptoms related to the odor.

 

The odor was detected in Terminal B of Newark Liberty International Airport, N. J. at about 11 AM, and witnesses said it smelt like natural gas, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport.

 

Part of the terminal was closed and evacuated, but was re-opened in the afternoon.

 

Port Authority spokesman Pasquale DiFulco said 11 people, most of them security personnel at the airport, complained of symptoms related to the odor.

 

Two of them were later hospitalized with nausea and dizziness, but they are now in good condition.

 

Some inbound flights were diverted to another part of the terminal and three outbound flights were delayed.

 

However, the overall operation of the airport was normal through the incident.

 

Authorities are investigating a possible gas leak but haven't detected any natural gas or carbon monoxide in the air.

 

Newark Liberty International Airport is one of three major international airports in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, along with John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport.

 

It is the tenth busiest airport in the United States and the nation's fifth busiest international air gateway.

 

In 2006, Newark Airport handled about 36 million passengers.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 18, 2007)