More than 2,500 people were evacuated from London's Royal Opera House on Thursday evening after a suspicious package was found. The evacuation occurred immediately after the final chord of a performance of Verdi's Rigoletto, cutting short the curtain call.
Police were called to the Covent Garden venue at 21:39 GMT and later deemed the package safe. The Metropolitan Police said the evacuation was carried out as a precaution, and the package was declared non-suspicious at 22:35.
On social media, the evacuation was described as orderly and calm. Michael Fabiano, who plays the Duke of Mantua in the production, tweeted that there was an orderly evacuation due to a fire emergency which later became a bomb scare. He added that he was able to greet most of the public in his full costume in Covent Garden.
One guest described the incident as an unexpected drama added to an already brilliant Rigoletto, while another praised the calm and professional operation. However, some opera-goers expressed regret that performers were not given a proper curtain call.
A spokeswoman for the venue confirmed that the auditorium, which seats 2,256 people, was full at the time. Audience members were allowed back inside to collect their belongings after the package was deemed safe.
Separately, officers carried out a controlled explosion at 21:40 on a suspicious vehicle at Hyde Park Corner, shortly before the opera house incident.
