The discovery of a suspicious package at an apartment building near the Longueuil metro triggered the evacuation of dozens of residents Monday afternoon and a controlled explosion under the watchful eye of the Surete du Quebec bomb squad.
Police were alerted to the suspicious package found in one of the units at 50 de la Barre St. around 2:45 p.m. and four floors of the building were promptly evacuated, confirmed Longueuil police Const. Marie Beauvais-Lavoie.
Provincial explosive specialists were called in and the package was neutralized in a controlled explosion just before 6 p.m., she added.
One apartment window was shattered by the force of the blast.
The roughly 30 evacuated residents were given the all-clear to return to their homes early Monday evening. The nearby Longueuil metro station was not evacuated, nor were any surrounding buildings, Beauvais-Lavoie said.
Several floors of an apartment building not far from the Longueuil metro station were evacuated Monday afternoon after the discovery of a suspicious package, according to regional police.
Police continue to investigate.