Bomb scare at Miami airport leads to mass evacuation, flight disruptions

A bomb scare prompted a partial evacuation at Miami International Airport (MIA), during one of the airport’s busiest travel periods, causing widespread delays and cancellations.

The incident began when airport staff discovered an unattended bag near Door 21 on the departures level of the South Terminal and notified the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. Deputies who responded classified the luggage as suspicious and ordered the immediate evacuation of passengers and staff in the surrounding area as a precaution, Travel Radar reports.

“TSA checkpoints serving Concourses G, H and J were closed, along with the curbside roadway, while bomb disposal procedures were carried out,” authorities reported. Passenger movement quickly ground to a halt, creating traffic congestion on airport access roads. Reports of a possible shooting—later unverified—added to panic and confusion among travelers.

Passenger Yevgeny Kachalov described the chaos on social media: “Just as I was checking in and about to go through security, there was a loud pop, and everyone rushed toward the exits.”

The bomb squad ultimately issued an all-clear around 7:40 p.m., confirming that no threat to life existed and allowing airport operations to gradually resume. However, normal flight activity was slow to recover. TSA first focused on rescreening airport employees, which delayed passenger processing and left numerous flights on hold.

Flight tracking data indicated that approximately 148 departures were canceled on January 25, with around 185 more delayed. Both domestic and international flights were affected, with some delays extending late into the night. One Zurich-bound flight departed roughly three hours late after passengers were escorted back through security. Officials noted that weather-related disruptions elsewhere in the US compounded the cancellations and delays.

Despite the disruptions, no injuries were reported. Airlines gradually resumed operations, working to reposition aircraft and crews to restore the schedule.

By Vafa Guliyeva