Bomb threats prompt evacuations at six French and one Belgian airport

Bomb threats prompt evacuations at six French and one Belgian airport

Time Stamp: October 18, 2023 6:49 AM
Source Node: 2943189

Six airports in France, including Lille-Lesquin, Nantes, Nice, Toulouse, Lyon, and Beauvais Tillé near Paris, and Ostend-Bruges airport in Belgium received bomb threats on Wednesday morning. Immediate evacuations were initiated.

French airports

The evacuation of passengers at Lille-Lesquin commenced around 10:30, with security services reportedly on-site to manage the situation. Simultaneously, terminals at Toulouse and Beauvais Tillé, in the vicinity of Paris, were also cleared as a precautionary measure.

According to information from “Courrier Picard“, the bomb threats were communicated to airport personnel via email. The nature and credibility of the threats are currently under investigation by authorities.

The French authorities, including anti-terrorism units, are working diligently to assess the validity of the threats and apprehend those responsible.

At Lille Airport, the situation quickly resolved as a piece of abandoned luggage in Terminal 1 prompted security services to neutralise the threat successfully.

Simultaneously, authorities in Lyon have confirmed that the bomb threat there was a false alarm. The regional authorities of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes issued a statement cautioning the public that making false bomb threats is a criminal offence.

Passengers with travel plans are urged to check with their respective airlines for the latest information on flight disruptions and possible delays.

Ostend-Bruges

Around fifty persons have been instructed to wait outside the terminal building of Ostend-Bruges Airport. An aircraft that had been diverted from Lille Airport, had been positioned on the tarmac while passengers were not allowed to leave the aircraft. A bomb search inside the terminal building was performed.

After the bomb threat earlier today, the airport building has been accessible to the public again since 13:20.

The flight from Malaga/Murcia to Ostend, which has temporarily landed in Brussels for a fuel stop, will soon resume to Ostend. Travellers departing to Tenerife/Gran Canaria can expect their flight to depart from Ostend later today, possibly with a slight delay.

The plane that had diverted from Lille to Ostend will also return to Lille.

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