International travel plunged into chaos as power failure shuts down London’s Heathrow Airport

London's Heathrow Airport was closed Friday after a fire at a nearby electricity substation caused power outages at the major transportation center.

LONDON —  London’s Heathrow Airport, one of the busiest transportation centers in the world, will be shut down at least through Friday, after a massive fire caused a power outage, sending hundreds of thousands of people in the U.K. and around the world scrambling to make alternate travel plans.

There were eerie scenes at the almost empty airport — in one case, people had to haul their heavy luggage down a darkened stairwell, with only a cellphone to light the way — as stranded travelers in far-flung terminals sat and searched their phones for answers.

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While the fire had been almost entirely extinguished by late morning Friday, more than 1,300 flights and 200,000 passengers were affected by the closure.

In an update Friday afternoon, Heathrow said they had no clarity on when power would be restored, with "significant disruption" likely to last for days, and that passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/londons-heathrow-airport-closes-day-power-failure-rcna197420

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