Hordes of panicked fliers were evacuated from Miami International Airport (MIA) on Sunday evening following a security issue amid travel chaos caused by Winter Storm Fern.
Travelers were seen rushing out of the popular Florida airport around 5:30 pm local time following safety concerns, according to authorities and various social media posts.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office (MDSO) said they found an unattended luggage near Door 21 at Departures and launched the evacuation as a precaution.
Bomb Squad officials were also called to the scene and the incident remains under investigation.
TSA checkpoints G, H and J, along with the roadside pick-up area, were closed, according to a statement from MIA officials.
But all the affected areas were reopened to the public less than two hours after the incident.
‘At 7 pm, MDSO gave the all clear and the areas were reopened,’ a police spokesperson told the Daily Mail in a statement.
This hectic ordeal comes as delays and cancellations stemming from the historic snowstorm – which has already claimed at least 12 fatal victims – have already sparked travel disarray.
One woman who shared a video from the chaotic scene on X said people hoping to board their flights were ‘just told to leave’ without any further explanation.
Travelers were seen crowded outside of Miami International Airport on Sunday evening following an evacuation due to a ‘safety issue’
Multiple travelers shared footage of the ordeal online, expressing confusion surrounding the evacuation
‘At Miami airport…they are evacuating everyone…no idea why, but they said it is a security issue,’ another baffled flier wrote.
Another claimed that his flight from Zurich, Switzerland, was evacuated on the Miami airport’s tarmac.
One man alleged that he heard a ‘pop’ while he was going through security. He claimed that the gut-wrenching sound that rang through the terminal caused people to start running.
He and another witness claimed the security issue behind the confusion was a ‘bomb threat,’ although officials have not provided any more details on the suspicious item found.
Videos from the evacuation showed people carrying luggage and backpacks crowded along the palm tree-lined streets surrounding one of Florida’s busiest airports.
More footage from inside the bustling travel hub depicted employees shutting storefront gates as fliers swiftly headed for an exit.
No injuries stemming from the unsettling event have been reported.
‘The [Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office] is investigating a suspicious item in MIA’s South Terminal area,’ the airport shared in an X statement around 7:10 pm.
Confused fliers were ushered out of the airport after authorities found an unattended luggage
‘The TSA checkpoints for concourses G, H, and J and the surrounding areas have been evacuated and are currently closed. Passengers driving to MIA this evening should give themselves additional time.’
MIA shared a statement on the ongoing incident on Sunday evening
The Daily Mail has reached out to the MIA and the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office for more information.
MIA has experienced more than 150 delays and nearly 250 cancellations on Sunday, NBC reported.
Nearly 100 trips were canceled and more than 250 were delayed at the airport on the day before.
More than 11,000 flights across the nation have been called off because of the severe winter storm.
Winter Storm Fern has prompted at least 24 states to declare a state of emergency, according to The Weather Channel.
Heavy snow and dangerous ice have slammed the South, Midwest and Northeast.
Forecasters have described the storm as catastrophic, with more than a foot of snow already hitting states including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, New Mexico, Colorado, Missouri and West Virginia.
Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas have all been plagued with more than a half an inch of ice.
Meteorologists have warned residents of affected areas to stay off the roads. But if driving is absolutely necessary, experts have urged people to drive very slowly.
