No injuries have been reported. (Represent)
Washington:
An accidental release of a gun sent dozens of passengers scrambling for cover and briefly closed Atlanta’s busy international airport on Saturday just days before the Thanksgiving holiday.
“There is not an active gunman,” Hartfield-Jackson Airport said on Twitter. “There has been an accidental discharge at the Airport. There is no danger to passengers or staff. An investigation is underway.”
No injuries have been reported.
There was no immediate explanation as to who owned the gun or how it happened on a security line.
There is not an active shooter. There was an accidental discharge of goods at the Airport. There is no danger to passengers or staff. An investigation is ongoing, more information will be published on this channel.
– Atlanta Airport (@ATLairport) November 20, 2021
However, the loud noise caused many people to run somersaults, knocking over suitcases and safes as they tried to escape, the film broadcast by CNN showed.
People can be heard shouting “Get down! Get down!” while others slide on the floor. Some took shelter in airport restaurants, while others even ran onto the tarmac.
The electrical discharge continued to cause mayhem and chaos.
A CNN reporter, whose plane had just landed, said she heard the pilot announce an “active shooter” while telling passengers they were still not allowed to disembark.
The incident happened around 1:30 p.m. (18:30 GMT). The airport reported later in the day that normal operations had been suggested.
A controversial Georgia law passed in 2014 allows people with guns to pass through public areas of the airport, as well as bars, schools and churches.
But under federal law, it’s illegal to bring a weapon into a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint.
The incident happened on Saturday on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
