Posted on 09/12/2001 6:59:12 PM PDT by Nature Leseul
Empire State Building Area Evacuated in False Alarm
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A false alarm forced the evacuation of thousands of people from the Empire State Building and surrounding streets of midtown Manhattan on Wednesday night, officials said .
Police officers at the scene said that a bomb-sniffing dog at the Empire State Building had ``positively detected something'' but less than an hour later, residents were given the all clear to return to the landmark building and their apartments.
The Director of the Observatory at the building, Richard Rust, said, ``All I can tell you is it's a false alarm.''
Thousands of people were seen streaming out of apartments in the heavily populated area and herded away by police.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said it was ordered by police to clear the PATH commuter train station at 33rd Street and 6th Avenue and it shut down the station where trains travel to suburbs in New Jersey.
CNN also reported that New York's main rail hub Penn Station, about three blocks away from the Empire State Building, was evacuated.
The evacuations came a day after two hijacked planes slammed into the World Trade Center, knocking down the twin towers and possibly killing thousands.
The city has been in a state of emergency since the attack which government officials have described as a ``terrorist act.'''
That's why Bin Laden is constantly moving.
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