Irma: World-famous St Martin airport where planes fly over beach-goers' heads decimated by hurricane
Dutch navy says airport is 'unreachable'
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Your support makes all the difference.The world-famous St Martin airport, where planes fly over beach-goers' heads and plane spotters cling to fences to feel the jet blast of aircraft taking off, has been severely damaged.
Hurricane Irma's 185mph winds tore through Princess Juliana International Airport, collapsing one of its jet bridges and covering its runway in sand and debris.
Photos on social media showed the airport's check-in lounge flooded and its safety fences pulled down.
While the landing strips appeared to be intact, the Dutch navy said the airport is "unreachable" for now.
The airport had suspended all operations before the storm hit as a precaution.
The hurricane caused "enormous devastation" to the Dutch side of the island and cut off electricity and gas, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said.
Most communications with the outside world are being conducted via the military, he said, adding there was "no clarity" on victims.
The Dutch navy, which has two ships stationed off the coast of the island, tweeted images gathered by helicopter showing damaged houses, hotels and boats.
French authorities have counted at least eight dead on the French side of the island.
Dutch Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk said he briefly had contact with St Martin's prime minister but communications are sporadic.
He said nine patients at a hospital in the country had been evacuated by Dutch military helicopter.
Sint Maarten is an independent nation within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with a population of around 40,000 -- about the same as the French side.
Andre van der Kamp, commander of the Dutch ship Zeeland, tweeted to say the Zeeland and Pelikaan would be trying to moor on Sint Maarten to deliver emergency aid, but they needed to complete a safety check of the port first.
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