Rome's main Fiumicino airport was closed on Thursday after a fire badly damaged the main international terminal building but nobody was seriously hurt in the blaze, officials said.

The airport, Italy's busiest with 39 million passengers in 2014, will remain closed until 2 pm (1200 GMT), they said.

Alitalia, Italy's national carrier, said all flights to and from Fiumicino had been cancelled until the re-opening except some inter-continental arrivals.

The officials said some flights already set for departure from other terminals at the airport had been allowed to take off after the fire broke out.

The closure came at one of the busiest times of the day for the airport, when most trans-Atlantic flights are scheduled to arrive and depart.

Passengers who had arrived for early morning flights were not allowed inside any of the terminals. The main highway linking the airport to Rome was closed to allow emergency vehicles to pass and train service from the city centre was suspended.

The fire broke out shortly after midnight (2200 GMT) in Terminal 3, which is used for international flights. Officials originally said the fire had started in a baggage area but later said it might have been in a restaurant. A number of shops in the terminal were seriously damaged.

Pictures posted on the Internet showed thick clouds of smoke billowing from the terminal.

At least three people suffered smoke inhalation, a fire brigade official said, adding that injuries could have been much more numerous had the fire broken out during the day when the terminal is crowded. - Reuters