There was panic at Gorakhpur Airport on Thursday when information about a bomb was received outside the arrival hall. Amidst the chaos all around, the passengers and employees were evacuated safely. Police, security team, medical unit, fire brigade and dog squad swung into action.
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Suspicious bag increased heart rate At 10:30 am, the airport administration received information about a bomb in a suspicious bag outside the arrival hall. Information was immediately given to the Bomb Threat Review Committee. Within just 10 minutes, passengers and staff were evacuated safely from the airport. During this time, Airport Security Unit (APSU), Dog Squad of Indian Air Force and BDDS team reached the spot and examined the bag.
At 10:40 the BDDS team started checking the bag, but before that the dog squad ensured that there was only a dummy in the bag. After this the entire area was declared safe.
40 minute drill, 100% vigilance in safety The airport administration termed the entire process, which lasted for 40 minutes, as a mock drill. Airport Director R.K. Varshney said, “Mock drills are conducted every year to test security preparedness and procedures to deal with emergencies. “This drill was conducted under the guidelines of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Safety.”
excellent coordination of teams During the drill, tremendous coordination was seen between the airport administration, security and emergency services. On the spot, operations in-charge Vijay Kumar Kaushal, Chief Security Officer Dinesh Kumar Gupta, Air Force team, District Fire Officer J.J. Singh and the team of medical services were present. Everyone played their role well.
Bomb Threat Plan: What is its purpose? The Civil Aviation Security Bureau has implemented Bomb Threat Contingency Plan at all the airports of the country. Under this, a Bomb Threat Review Committee is formed, which includes officials from police, administration, fire brigade, medical and security departments. In any such emergency situation, this committee takes action with full alertness and coordination.
After the drill was over, passengers and employees were allowed back into the airport. The swift action taken during the drill proved that Gorakhpur Airport is fully capable of handling security and emergency situations.
