Copa flight headed to Florida diverted due to a ‘suspicious object.’ See what it was
A Copa Airlines flight bound for Tampa, Florida, had to turn around after a suspected bomb threat on Friday morning, the Associated Press reported.
Flight CM393 returned to Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport to be searched for an explosive device, Panama’s Civil Aeronautics Authority reported on X regarding the incident, which turned out to be a false alarm.
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The Boeing 737-800 landed at around 11 a.m. local time and moved to an isolated area of the tarmac, where 144 passengers were evacuated.
Luego de una alerta por el @aacivilpty, de un objeto extraño en una aerolínea las unidades de Fuerzas Especiales activaron el protocolo de emergencia y al ser verificado resultó ser un pañal desechable de adulto. #Prevención pic.twitter.com/n3pBqQZki9
— Policía Nacional (@ProtegeryServir) October 13, 2023
Canine units and special forces searched the aircraft for a “suspicious” foreign object, found to be an adult diaper (pañal desechable de adulto in Spanish) in the bathroom, José Castro, the head of the airport’s security team, told the AP.
The national police posted two pictures of the large diaper on X, with the hashtag #Prevention.
After the risk was ruled out, the travelers reboarded the same plane and landed in Tampa at 6:54 p.m., according to Beau Zimmer, communications manager for Tampa International Airport.
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