A bomb threat was reported at the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies at 88 River Road, Gatlinburg, in Tennessee on Saturday. It prompted an evacuation at the aquarium. This was confirmed by city officials to WVLT reporter Kyle Grainger. He wrote on Facebook “Officials confirm a bomb threat at the Aquarium.”
“The aquarium in Gatlinburg is being evacuated,” a local reporter wrote.
The commotion had initially caused confusion and one person asked “Anybody know what is going on in Gatlinburg, Tennessee right now? The aquarium just got evacuated by cops.” They added “Gatlinburg Aquarium just got evacuated. Cops blocking off multiple exits.”
On Facebook, a Gatlinburg local wrote “BOMB THREAT AT GATLINBURG AQUARIUM. I’m hearing about a bomb threat in Gatlinburg at Ripley’s aquarium.” A WVLT reporter also confirmed the news. Gatlinburg Police Department are yet to release an official statement on the incident.
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The report of the bomb threat at Gatlinburg’s Ripley’s aquarium comes after the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Delaware, Ohio, had to be cleared due to a bomb threat.
Gatlinburg Ripley’s aquarium bomb threat: Reactions
While it remains unclear if the threat holds any water, several people reacted to the report of the Ripley’s aquarium being evacuated. “Louisville Kentucky zoo just got evacuated for a bomb threat as well,” one person wrote, referring to another bomb threat. Notably, in recent times, zoos have been getting a spate of bomb threats which are turning out to be hoaxes.
A person claiming to be at the scene wrote “We are here. They evacuated everyone and closed the road. About 20 cops”. Another added “Prayers for the Animals safety, esp since evacuated.” Yet another person who claimed they were in the vicinity, added “Just came from there. We were just walking down the street and the police moved us out but fast.”
Other spoke of the wave of bomb threats that are being made across the country. “West Tennessee just had two bomb threats last week. The Bass Pro Pyramid in Memphis and a private high school in Jackson both had bomb threats at the same time. Memphis and Jackson are an hour apart. This is weird,” a person wrote.
“I’m in Gatlinburg right now. There have been several police, Fire Dept, and Ambulances going by,” another person added, sharing their experience. An individual described the moment of the evacuation, saying “We were there and evacuated. Police officer said it was a bomb threat.”