Airport powder scare sees hundreds quarantined

25/06/2006
ABC News Online

Adelaide airport is in chaos this afternoon because of a yellow powder found on bags on the international luggage carousel.

Up to 400 people have been quarantined in the airport's international terminal.

The powder was noticed on luggage that had been carried on a Singapore Airlines flight, which arrived just after 7.30am ACST.

Emergency crews are struggling to identify the powder because remote equipment is failing to work from inside the terminal.

Adelaide Airport's public relations manager John McArdle says some of the passengers managed to get to a taxi and leave the airport before authorities could quarantine them.

"I understand that some of them got into a taxi and authorities are trying to track them down."

Mr McArdle says passengers on all incoming international flights are being put into quarantine.

"Incoming international aircraft and being unloaded and people are being placed into a secure lounge ... and they will be processed as soon as the product is identified as being safe," he said.

Mr McArdle says some passengers came in contact with the powder when they picked up their luggage from the carousel, he says they then inadvertently transferred the powder onto other passengers.

Mr McArdle says there were 200 people on the initial flight and another 150 have since arrived on other flights.

"This is a real incident and this is the first of the major incidents that we've had," he said.

"We're more than happy with how the process is handled. My feeling would be that the delay would escalate through the day."

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Found in a Singapore Airlines flight... Did it come from Singapore? If it did, how did it get past the Singapore customs? Is it a possible prank? If they are some form of poisonous materials used by terrorists, does it mean that they are already using the powder in Singapore for terrorists means?