Victoria International Airport was urgently closed on Tuesday after a suspicious package was found early in the afternoon.
“The package was found in the departure check-in area. He was brought in by a passenger and picked up by the employees, who carried out the usual tests. […] They scanned the bag and found an item inside that could be dangerous,” Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesman Andres Sanchez told local media.
According to him, the object in question looks like an incendiary device, but the spokesperson did not immediately offer further details.
The object in question was intercepted around 1:30 p.m. local time, authorities said.
Called in as reinforcements, the RCMP made the decision to close the airport while it conducted its investigation.
As a result, all scheduled evening flights, with the exception of a few arrivals, had to be cancelled, airport managers said.
According to Global News, a flight should also have been rerouted to Vancouver due to the airport closure.