Passenger aircraft, operated by British Airways, a unit of International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG), and Easyjet Plc, sit parked at London Gatwick airport in this aerial view taken over Crawley, U.K., on Monday, Oct. 24, 2016. The U.K. government will decide next week whether to expand London's main airport, Heathrow, or its rival Gatwick putting an end to decades of prevarication over what has become one of the most contentious issues in British politics. Photographer: Jason Alden/Bloomberg
LONDON (Reuters) -British police sent a bomb disposal team to London's Gatwick Airport after a suspected prohibited item was discovered in luggage, authorities said on Friday, following the earlier evacuation of a passenger terminal.
Sussex Police, the local force, said a security cordon would remain in place while the matter is dealt with.
Gatwick, Britain's second busiest airport which is located about 30 miles south of London, said earlier it had evacuated a large part of its South terminal, citing a security incident.
"Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20am on Friday following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage," Sussex Police said in a statement.
"As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport."
Airport authorities said on X that passengers were being kept out of the building while the incident was ongoing, while police said there was significant traffic disruption in the area and advised people to avoid it.
In a separate incident earlier on Friday, London police carried out a controlled explosion near the U.S. embassy in south London after discovering a suspect package.
(Reporting by Catarina Demony, writing by Sarah Young, editing by Sachin Ravikumar)
