Chongqing police evacuated 100,000 residents yesterday following a hoax bomb threat at a bus station.
The municipality had been on high alert following a string of serious crimes, including the killing of a sentry outside an army garrison in March.
The Nanan district police station received a call at 8.30am from a man who claimed he had put a remote-controlled bomb inside the Nanping bus terminal, a main bus interchange in the city, Xinhua reported. 'The bomb will be set off in 30 minutes,' he was quoted as saying.
His mobile phone was switched off after the call.
By 9am, local police had cordoned off the bus stop and nearby areas, the news agency said. As many as 100,000 people - passengers and residents nearby - were evacuated while bomb disposal experts and dogs got to work.
No bomb was found after a three-hour search that paralysed traffic in downtown areas, local media reported.