News24.com | Hoax bomb scare prompts evacuation of 57-storey Madrid tower

Hoax bomb scare prompts evacuation of 57-storey Madrid tower

2019-04-16 15:31
Ambulances wait outside the Torrespacio skyscraper after the 57-storey office tower in Madrid's business district that houses several foreign embassies was evacuated due to an unspecified security threat. (Paul White, AP)

Ambulances wait outside the Torrespacio skyscraper after the 57-storey office tower in Madrid's business district that houses several foreign embassies was evacuated due to an unspecified security threat. (Paul White, AP)

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A hoax bomb threat called in to the Australian Embassy in Spain prompted the evacuation of a 57-storey office tower in Madrid's business district on Tuesday, Spanish police said.

Staff at the embassy in Madrid received a phone call with the security threat around midday on Tuesday, said a National Police spokeswoman who wasn't authorized to be identified by name in media reports.

She said police are investigating the call after deeming it a false alarm. The tower had been evacuated by the time police and emergency services arrived at the scene, she added.

The Australian Embassy tweeted that it would be closed for the rest of the day and until further notice.

At 235m, Torre Espacio is one of four skyscrapers dotting the northern part of the Spanish capital's skyline. Apart from the Australian legation, it houses the embassies of the United Kingdom, Canada and the Netherlands, as well as offices of several multinational companies.

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