Patients evacuated from Czech hospital after anonymous bomb threat

Dozens of patients were evacuated from Hořovice Hospital in Central Bohemia Thursday morning after an anonymous bomb threat triggered a major police and emergency response.

Police began searching the large hospital complex with three explosives-detection dogs after a staff member reported the threat at around 7:30 a.m. No explosives had been found as of 10 a.m., but the search remained underway.

Patients confined to beds or dependent on medical equipment were allowed to remain inside rather than being evacuated, police spokeswoman Michaela Richterová said.

Emergency services activated a trauma plan shortly before 8 a.m. and deployed a large number of crews to Hořovice, around 50 kilometers southwest of Prague.

Patients requiring evacuation are being transported to hospitals across the wider region.

Three air ambulance helicopters from Prague, Plzeň and České Budějovice were deployed, along with emergency teams from Central Bohemia, Prague and the Plzeň region. Two specialized evacuation vehicles were also sent to the hospital.

Firefighters have around 40 vehicles at the scene, while an additional bus was dispatched from Mladá Boleslav to assist with the response.

Police initially indicated that hundreds of people could be affected but later clarified that several dozen had been evacuated.

Authorities have not said how long the search could take, noting the size of the hospital complex. Hořovice Hospital said it would provide further information later Thursday.

The incident comes just over a week after another bomb threat prompted the evacuation of around 240 people from a hospital in Kadaň, including pediatric patients. Police repeatedly searched that facility but found no explosive device.