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Bomb scare evacuates market in Georgian capital

09 September 2010 22:16 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A false bomb alarm on Thursday emptied a local market in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, and the evacuation caused some stalls and commodities to be trampled on, according to eyewitnesses, APA reports quoting news.xinhuanet.com website.

The Georgian interior ministry did not confirm the existence of the assumed explosive device in the market, known as the Lilo Market, near the Tbilisi International Airport.

Local police rushed to the market for a search, which ended with no suspicious device found.

"Information about the existence of a bomb in the Lilo Market spread out around 1:30 (in the afternoon)," one eyewitness said. " The information caused panic among the customers and sales people who tried to run out for safety."

Lan Haibin, a Chinese national who does business in Tbilisi, told Xinhua that a dozen Chinese importers who have wholesale outlets at the market had been affected by the evacuation.

"Some of their customers forgot to pay in the hurry," said Lan. "And some of their commodities were trampled on during the evacuation."

The Lilo Market, which specializes in selling clothing and fabrics, has been an attraction to local residents.