Madrid bomb scare prompts embassy evacuations

Staff inside Madrid's Torrespacio tower evacuated the building on Tuesday after receiving a false bomb threat, Spanish police wrote on Twitter.

The Australian embassy, which is located in the tower, received the threat by telephone, a police spokesman said.

"The threat was false. Everything goes back to normal. Police are investigating the origin of the call," police wrote in a Tweet.

The 57-story, 235-meter (770-foot) high skyscraper in the Spanish capital's northern business district is also home to the British, Dutch and Canadian embassies. All staff had evacuated the building by the time emergency services arrived, police said.

The Australian embassy wrote on Twitter that it would remain closed for the rest of the day.

nm/amp (Reuters, AFP, AP)

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