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Lourdes Sanctuaries evacuated after a bomb scare on Sunday 15 August 2010

Police evacuated the Sanctuary of Lourdes on Sunday following a telephone warning to the police.  The warning announced that four bombs were due to go off at 1500 local time.

The evacuation was carried out calmly, an achievement in its self considering that around 30,000 people were in the sanctuary for the Feast of Assumption, one of the sites busiest days. 

No explosions were heard at 1500 and after the whole area had been checked by police bomb disposal experts using sniffer dogs, the worshipers were allowed to return.

Lourdes attracts over six million visitors each year and is famous for the vision of the Virgin Mary in 1858 by fourteen year old Bernadette Soubirous, a girl living in the local area.  The Feast of Assumption celebrates the Virgin Mary’s ascent to Heaven.

For more information on Lourdes and the sanctuaries, have a look at our Lourdes guide pages.

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