It was a hectic day by all accounts, said those on hand at the Bermuda International Airport on Tuesday when several unexpected flights were diverted to the Island after terrorists hijacked four aircraft and ploughed three of them into key US landmarks.

And with an unprecedented nine airplanes lining the tarmac at the airport and more than 1,000 passengers diverted from all corners of Europe, the race was on to find foreign language interpreters, to allay fears in the midst of the confusion.

Flights from Rome, Spain and Portugal were met with language specialists from the Department of Education and the Portuguese community to assist with the traffic of foreigners.

On hand, in the midst of several hundred passengers who looked dazed and confused, was Education Department foreign language officer, Lydia Perinchief.

She said she was called in to help translate Spanish, and estimated she spoke to as many as 150 passengers.

"A lot of these people don't even know why they are here," she said. "Many of them were concerned. Some had lost their luggage, many wanted to call home and others just wanted to know how soon the planes would be flying again."

She said that many on the various flights did not have an idea of what had happened and she said she tried her best to allay the foreigners' concerns and fears.

"They could only understand bits and pieces," Ms Perinchief said. "I told them that Bermuda is probably the safest place for them at the moment."

It is not understood how many days the diverted visitors will have to spend in the Island, but it is understood that there would be interpreters on hand at the hotels around the Island to assist with the visitors' needs.

Ms Perinchief said that as she spoke with passengers, she was instructed to check off the names on the different flights as she went along.

"We just tried to keep them together," she said. "If they were in a family, we tried to explain that we would accommodate them together. But they were calm and they listened."