As many as six French airports were evacuated on Wednesday (October 18, 2023) amid bomb threats, media reports said.
The evacuations at Lille, Lyon, Nantes, Nice, Toulouse and Beauvais airport near Paris would allow authorities to "clear up any doubts" that the threats might be real, sources told AFP news agency.
Interestingly, the Palace of Versailles, which is considered one of the major tourist attractions in the country, was evacuated because of a security scare for the third time in five days.
The official X page of the Palace of Versailles posted: "Dear visitors, for security reasons, the Palace of Versailles is evacuating visitors. Thank you for your understanding."
A spokesman for France's DGAC aviation authority confirmed to France 24 that evacuations over bomb warnings only occurred at Lille, Lyon, Toulouse and Beauvais, and was unable to give further details immediately.
According to a post on the X page of Nice Airport, flight service was disrupted after abandoned baggage was found in terminal 1.
"Following an abandoned baggage item in terminal 1, a security perimeter was set up to allow the usual checks to be carried out. The situation has now returned to normal," the official X handle posted.
France has raised its security alert to the highest level within the last week amid the escalating conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, reports Variety.
The country was left shocked recently when a teacher was murdered in the French city of Arras.
Anti-terrorism prosecutors are currently investigating the case.
