Thousands of people were evacuated from Auchan supermarket stores in Moscow, after a series of bomb threat calls, but no explosives have been found, Russian news reports said Friday.
Initial media reports Thursday evening said five of the retail chain's stores were targeted by bomb threats and were being evacuated, but the number soon expanded to 12 Auchan stores around the capital.
The GUM department store near the Kremlin was also evacuated Thursday evening following an alleged bomb threat, the RBC news agency reported.
At least 11,000 people were evacuated, the RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing an unidentified official from Moscow's emergency services. But the TASS news agency quoted an unidentified law enforcement official as saying more than 20,000 people were evacuated.
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