Sydney, AUSTRALIA - Sydney's International Airport had to be evacuated today due to a gas leak emergency. After an 8-hour delay of all flights and a complete shutdown of the airport, investigators found the source to be a Chinese tourist's durian. News.con.au's Garson Mun reports.
At approximately 9:40am today, Qantas staff at Sydney International Airport Terminal detected the smell of gas and alerted security to a potential gas leak.
Travellers throughout the terminal who also began to experience the foul stench were urged not to panic, but their fear of a possible terrorist threat proved too great.
People began screaming for help, shoving each other out of the way, and Facetiming loved ones to say their last words - a young man even stripped naked and began engaging in sex acts with a mannequin from the Duty-Free Shop because he reportedly "did not want to die a virgin".
"The Counter-Terrorist Unit made the call to close down all the check-in desks, customs, and locked down every departure gate," senior security manager Andrew McCloud told News.con.au. "There was no way we were going to take any risks."
Emergency response teams in hazmat suits and gas masks began sweeping the airport to locate the leak, and at 12:30pm confirmed its source.
Staff found a Chinese woman had smuggled durian from overseas, and it had begun to rot in her luggage as it circulated the baggage claim area, causing the smell to spread throughout the entire terminal.
"The airport security came and told her they needed to confiscate it, and she wasn't happy about it," said Jono Briggs, a Sydney local.
"She looked ready to fight them for the durian, like I'm pretty sure she knows Kung-Fu or somethin' ay."
