Bomb threat at the airport. Passengers were evacuated
On Thursday afternoon, passengers were evacuated from the airport in Basel due to a bomb scare. The port area is being searched by Swiss and French services. It has not been reported whether the alarm was due to abandoned luggage.
7:03 AM EDT, October 20, 2023
Basel - is a city in Switzerland; it is located at the junction of the borders of Switzerland, Germany, and France. The airport is located in France - Swiss media points out.
"Hundreds of travelers were stranded at the airport, without information about the status of their flights," - reports the portal 20min.ch after all individuals were evacuated from the terminal.
It is not yet known how many flights will have to be rerouted or canceled. In connection with the alert, bus communication from the airport was also suspended.
The port authorities in Basel did not confirm whether the alarm was triggered due to abandoned luggage. They only informed that it happened "for security reasons".
The prefecture of the French department of Haut Rhin, where the airport is located, also confirmed the bomb threat announcement - without giving a reason.
Searching the airport
The search of the airport by the cantonal police from Basel began around 9:30 AM Eastern Time. Accompanying the officers was a police dog, trained to detect explosives. On site, there were also officers from the Federal Customs Office, border protection units, and the French military.
As 20min.ch reminds us, the highest level of terrorist threat was introduced in France in relation to the war between Israel and Hamas - after an attack in Brussels, in which two Swedish football fans were killed.
In France on Wednesday, 15 airports were closed due to receiving information about planted bombs.
