Bus station evacuated after bomb hoax call

THE bus station in Palma's Calle Eusebio Estada was evacuated by police yesterday after a phone call was received claiming that a bomb had been planted there. The call later proved to be a hoax. The phone call was received at the bus station's office shortly before 11.30, claiming that there was a bomb and it was due to go off shortly.
The police were informed immediately and it was decided to evacuate the station.
A large number of Local and National Police officers rushed to the station, and organised the evacuation, which went smoothly.
Part of the Eusebio Estada, between the bridge at Calle Francesc Sancho and Calle Rei Sancho, was closed to traffic and to pedestrians.
This caused chaos with the traffic and also meant there were delays in the departures of trains and buses.
Police officers used sniffer dogs trained to detect explosives to search the bus station but nothing was found.
Dozens of people had been in the bus station at the time, and some suffered panic attacks but the situation became normal once it was confirmed that it had been a hoax call. Efforts will be made to track down the person who made the call.