Hundreds stranded in Jacksonville after power outage at Atlanta airport

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Thousands were left stranded Sunday night after a power outage at one of the world's busiest airports.

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport delayed and canceled flights after an outage that was believed to have started underground.

“A power outage has impacted several areas in the airport,” a tweet posted to the official Atlanta Airport Twitter account said. “Officials are working to remedy the situation. Additional updates to come.”

The outage began around 1:15 p.m., according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

People sat in dark terminals for hours as airport staff worked to resolve the issue.

Hundreds now remain stranded at Jacksonville International Airport as flights into Atlanta have been canceled.

The power was out in major parts of the airport, affecting people movers, escalators and other equipment, according to passengers in the airport.

The passengers waiting to get to Atlanta said they are frustrated to some degree. One family said they have children to get home to and now they'll have to stay the night in Jacksonville instead.

Lines with hundreds of people were spotted all throughout the Jacksonville International Airport.

"I heard that Atlanta C Concourse caught fire and the power is still not up, but I can't confirm that," passenger Kevin Owens said.

Questions remain about why Atlanta's airport lost electricity.

News4Jax spoke with a passenger in Atlanta by phone.

"They pretty much told us, 'If you have somewhere to go, you might want to go, because it doesn't look like anyone is going to get out of the airport until tomorrow,'" passenger Courtney Morris said.

Departures from the airport were delayed because electrical equipment is not working in the terminals.

People headed for Atlanta are calling it a night in Jacksonville, with some choosing to focus on the positive.

"It's not a lot anybody can do," passenger Jeannie Rainford said. "No reason to be upset. Just got to wait and hope everything turns out OK."

Since Atlanta is the largest hub for a number of airlines, the best advice right now is to continue checking flight statuses online.