France: Toulouse-Blagnac airport evacuated after security alert following Brussels attacks

The airport of Toulouse-Blagnac, in France's Midi-Pyrénées region, has been evacuated Wednesday (23 March) around 6:45am local time (05:45 GMT) after a suspicious package was identified within the vicinity.

In Toulouse, passengers on board flights were asked to leave aircraft and were evacuated while those in the departure area were asked to evacuate the airport, local media reported.

The security alert came just a day after 31 people were killed and 250 injured on 22 March, following a series of terror attacks at the airport and the Brussels Metro system claimed by the Islamic State (IS).

Neighbouring France, which is still reeling from terror attacks in the capital Paris in November, tightened its security at transportation hubs and at borders after the Brussels bombings.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve on Tuesday announced the deployment of an additional 1,600 police and gendarmes to intensify border checks, particularly at the Belgian border to the north, and increased security in airports and train stations.

As social-media accounts operated by supporters of IS celebrated the attacks on the Belgian capital, a screenshot emerged of surveillance-camera footage purportedly showing the three suspects.