Cape Town – The Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa) says it received a hoax bomb threat from an anonymous caller on Wednesday at OR Tambo International Airport.
As a precautionary measure, the domestic arrivals section of the airport was evacuated, and security officials conducted a thorough sweep of the area, Acsa said in a statement.
Passengers who had just arrived were instructed to remain in shuttles and with their respective airlines.
“Acsa would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused during the evacuation of passengers from the domestic arrivals terminal on the evening of the 31st of May 2023,” the statement read.
“Acsa received a notification by an anonymous caller of an alleged bomb threat at the domestic arrivals hall at approximately 5pm on Wednesday, 31 May 2023,” Acsa said.
“Upon learning of the potential security risk, we immediately initiated the evacuation of all passengers and staff from the area that was potentially at risk,” the company said.
A hoax bomb scare at #ORTambo Airport is what led to evacuation of passengers at the domestic arrival terminal earlier today.
ACSA says it received a notification by an anonymous caller of an alleged bomb threat.
8 domestic fights disrupted.
All good now #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/5nfX9liAQR— Chriselda Zozi Lewis (Babes Wendaba) (@Chriseldalewis) May 31, 2023
Acsa later confirmed that the bomb scare was a hoax, and normal operations resumed.
“After a thorough investigation by the [SA Police Service] SAPS, it emerged that there was no reason for concern, normal service has since resumed, and the domestic arrivals hall was declared safe as at 7.25pm,” said an Acsa spokesperson.
The incident disrupted eight domestic flights and caused inconvenience to passengers.
The South African Police Service will continue to investigate the incident to determine its origin and motive, said Acsa.
“While the matter will continue to be investigated by SAPS to establish the origin and motive of the individuals behind this incident, we would like to assure all our passengers that our security personnel will remain on high alert and all necessary precautions will be taken to ensure the continued safety of our passengers.”
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
