Passenger flees after gun goes off, causes chaos at Atlanta airport

(Reuters) - A gun owner fled after his weapon fired by accident at Atlanta's airport, sending terrified travelers scrambling onto the tarmac yesterday, with no one injured but halting flights during the busy Thanksgiving holiday period.

About two hours after the 1:30 p.m. blast in the security screening area at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, officials gave an "all-clear" and flights resumed, the hub said on Twitter.

"As the weapon discharged, he took off and was able to make it outside the airport," airport spokesman Andrew Gobeil told CNN. "He was not allowed to go."

Gobeil said that authorities were trying to locate the gun owner.

"Because he was in the process of being screened, we have all his information," Gobeil said.

Immediate fear that an active shooter had opened fire gripped the crowd, which rushed out of the terminal and onto the tarmac.

"More and more people started running - there was screaming," said traveler Erika Zeidler, who sent photographs to CNN showing dozens of people rushing onto the tarmac, some pulling suitcases.

Hartsfield-Jackson was the world's busiest airport in 2021, according to aviation analytics provider Official Airline Guide (OAG).

The Atlanta airport was expected to be particularly busy during the Thanksgiving travel period, with prepandemic-size crowds expected at security checkpoints from Friday, Nov. 19 through Sunday, Nov. 28, the Transportation Security Administration said.

"Officials have given an all-clear for #ATLAirport and normal operations are beginning," the airport tweeted at 3:24 p.m.