A regional airport in Australia was closed down for more than an hour over the weekend – because an adult toy was mistaken for a bomb.
According to Melbourne’s newspaper The Age, the vibrating object was discovered in a bin by a security guard in the terminal cafeteria at Mackay airport.
The manager of the cafeteria, Lynne Bryant, is quoted as saying that the incident started when staff noticed a humming noise coming from a bin: “It was rather disconcerting when the bin started humming furiously. We called security and the next minute everybody was being evacuated while they checked it out.”
Police say the entire terminal was completely evacuated: “Another two flights were expected to land at that stage but alternate arrangements were made for the passengers to collect their luggage away from the terminal.”
The terminal was re-opened after the object was identified as an “adult novelty device”.
Ms Bryant reportedly said that, in retrospect, the humming sound was “exactly like a vibrator”, but that it was better to be safe than sorry. She added: “You can’t afford to take chances.”
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd
