Suspicious package prompts evacuation, crowds at Fort Lauderdale Airport – NBC 6 South Florida

A chaotic scene unfolded inside Terminal 1 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Sunday morning, after a suspicious, unattended bag prompted an evacuation.

“Everybody was yelling, ‘get out of the building!’ All the workers – everybody,” said a passenger.

The upper level of Terminal 1 was evacuated as BSO’s Bomb Squad investigated.

“They evacuated the whole building and we all had to stay outside,” a passenger added. “The escalators were broken, so we had to carry all of our heavy luggage up the stairs — two flights of stairs. It was crazy.”

The Bomb Squad eventually gave the all-clear around midday and travelers re-entered the terminal — prompting the massive crowds.

Airport operations quickly resumed.