Anthrax scare at Aus airport
2005-10-09 11:37
Sydney - Hundreds of travellers were stranded at Australia's Adelaide airport for more than two hours on Sunday when it was shut down after white powder was discovered leaking from luggage.
Fearing a biological anthrax outbreak, airport authorities immediately evacuated the luggage handling area and the airport was closed, the national AAP news agency said.
Ten fire trucks and 40 firefighters responded to an emergency call, but initial tests showed the powder to be harmless, said fire service spokesman John Foody.
"I'm sure members of the public have been put out to a certain extent and also the airlines, but it is all about safety and we've got to treat it as worst case scenario," he said.
Some passengers were irritated, however. "I was meant to be going on my honeymoon to the Gold Coast, now I'm stranded," said Lizzy Mueller. "We were told there was a substance found and it's a bit distressing."
In the capital Canberra on Saturday, the main road linking Parliament House to Prime Minister John Howard's official residence was closed for several hours after a scare over an abandoned van.
Police sent in a remote-controlled bomb detection robot to scour the vehicle, and later declared the area was safe.
Australia has stepped up anti-terrorism security since the London bombings in July which killed more than 50 people.
Following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, a wave of anthrax alerts were recorded around the world.
Most of the alerts turned out to be hoaxes, though five people died and 17 were infected in the United States after handling anthrax-laced letters.
Anthrax is a bacteria that can be deadly if inhaled. Symptoms include fever, sweat, and chills, but typically they do not manifest themselves for several days.