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Hong Kong Disneyland building evacuated after suspect package found

HONG KONG — A suspicious object which turned out to be a broken Buzz Lightyear toy sparked a bomb threat at the main office block of Hong Kong Disneyland on Monday (Feb 13). About 500 park workers were evacuated from the building.

AFP file photo

AFP file photo

HONG KONG — A suspicious object which turned out to be a broken Buzz Lightyear toy sparked a bomb threat at the main office block of Hong Kong Disneyland on Monday (Feb 13). About 500 park workers were evacuated from the building.

The three-hour incident that prompted the deployment of anti-terrorism and bomb disposal officers did not affect the operation of the Lantau theme park, according to Disneyland.

The case came to light at about 12.30pm when a parcel, addressed to the theme park’s managing director Samuel Lau, was found to contain suspected wires and a battery during an X-ray inspection at the ground-floor mail room of the office block in Magic Road.

“The theme park’s two sniffer dogs were also deployed to detect any dangerous goods and gave a positive indication to their handlers,” one source with knowledge of the case said.

Police bomb disposal experts were sent after a report was made shortly before 12.45pm.

According to the Fire Services Department, six fire engines and two ambulances were also sent. A spokeswoman said they were on standby at the scene and no water jets were used.

The source said officers from the force’s counterterrorism response unit, who recently began patrolling the city’s railway stations in response to global terror threats, were also sent to the scene.

A female park worker, 45, complained that she felt unwell while leaving the building. She was taken to North Lantau Hospital in Tung Chung for treatment.

Inspections by bomb disposal officers showed the parcel contained a Buzz Lightyear toy and a letter, according to the source.

Another source said it was a complaint letter saying a man had bought the toy for his son and brought it home before he found it was broken.

A police report said no explosives were found in the parcel. Officers from the Lantau police district are following up on the case.

A Disneyland spokesman said workers were allowed to return to the office building at about 4pm.

“Hong Kong Disneyland is committed to ensuring the safety of our resort,” the spokesman said.

In 2011, a sniffer dog used by Disneyland sparked a false alarm that caused part of the public transport interchange at the park’s entrance to be shut down for nearly two and a half hours.

Police and fire officers were called when the dog checked a rubbish bin and indicated that suspected dangerous goods were there. Police later found a bottle containing detergent, but nothing dangerous. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

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