- Eastgate Shopping Center in Bondi Junction was evacuated
- The police are investigating the cause on site
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A major shopping center has been declared safe again after police rushed to the area in an emergency evacuation earlier in the day.
Shoppers were ordered to evacuate the Eastgate Shopping Center on Spring Street in Bondi Junction, but were allowed back in at 11.20am on Monday.
Officers had evacuated the center as a precaution around 10:30 am after a suspicious package was reported.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and blocked off Spring Street, with reports that a suspicious package had been left outside the Coles checkout exit.
NSW Police confirmed bomb squads who inspected the package determined it was not suspicious before the mall resumed normal operations.
Employees at the mall said security quickly removed them from their stores when the evacuation was declared.
“They evacuated everyone… we asked what happened and they said there was something suspicious inside and a wire was coming out,” Kishor Bhatt, 23, who works at Tender Gourmet Butchery, told the Daily Telegraph.
‘It was quite scary, just like the incident before [at Bondi Junction] was stinging and now a bombshell [would’ve been] terrifying.’
Hundreds of customers were evacuated from Eastgate Bondi Junction after reports a suspicious package had been left near a Coles supermarket
Eastgate Bondi Junction thanked shoppers for their patience and understanding before announcing the shopping center had reopened to the public.
‘We are OPEN! Following a brief evacuation earlier this morning, we are pleased to welcome you back to enjoy your Christmas shopping at Eastgate Bondi Junction,” it wrote on Facebook.
“We are doing everything we can to ensure the well-being of our community and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this brief closure.
‘Thank you for your patience and understanding!’