Britain's Gatwick Airport evacuates one terminal as precautionary measure

Hundreds of people were photographed standing outside the airport in the rain after being told to leave the airport

Britain's Gatwick Airport evacuated its North Terminal as a precautionary measure due to an incident, the London airport's twitter feed said on Saturday.

The evacuation came amid heightened security after attacks in Paris left more than 120 people dead on Friday and Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron convened a meeting of his government's emergency response committee.



Britain's terrorism threat level stands at "severe", the second highest category which means a militant attack is considered highly likely.



Gatwick airport is the country's second busiest airport and is situated about 30 miles south of London.

Many took to Twitter following reports:

gatwick airport has been evacuated due to a suspicious package - this comes just hours after london was listed as next, according to ISIS. 😰

— jas (@sashastbells) November 14, 2015

Patient passengers waiting in the rain at Gatwick North pic.twitter.com/esfC4X66sf

— Tim Unwin (@TimUnwin) November 14, 2015

https://twitter.com/RegPike/status/665483639854145537

Please check your terminal before heading to Gatwick Airport. https://t.co/m3Tdkl5gxG

— Skyscanner (@Skyscanner) November 14, 2015

https://twitter.com/ozaybooth/status/665485651249405953

#Gatwick Airport's North Terminal has evacuated due to the discovery of a 'suspicious article', Sussex Police. https://t.co/IrgdHY03ZB

— Underground London (@UndergrndLondon) November 14, 2015

#GatwickAirport North Terminal evacuated after alert over 'suspicious article' https://t.co/8gVNgCw28l

— Enrique Blanco (@EnriqueBlancoC) November 14, 2015

https://twitter.com/MrCianTwomey/status/665485826235752448

The airport however said the evacuation was due to 'an incident':

Due to an incident - the North Terminal has been evacuated as a precautionary measure. Extra staff on-site looking after passenger welfare

— London Gatwick LGW (@Gatwick_Airport) November 14, 2015