SWAN Hill police station was evacuated early yesterday morning after a mysterious powder seized by police from an abandoned car was found to be “volatile”.
Members of the public flagged down police on the Murray Valley Highway at Lake Boga at about 11.15pm on Saturday, where a car was believed to have been abandoned after a crash.
Police searched the car in an attempt to determine its owner and found a possible explosive device and a powdered white substance, believed at the time to be drugs.
The powder was seized and the bomb response unit arrived from Melbourne yesterday morning to safely remove the device.
The police station was evacuated as a precaution about 6.15am yesterday after police, who took the powder there for examination, determined it was volatile.
Police members were relocated while the situation at the Swan Hill station was made safe.
The station was deemed safe and reopened about 2.30pm.
Yesterday afternoon, Swan Hill police inspector Dan Davison said three people were assisting detectives with investigations.
Insp Davison said the situation at the Swan Hill police station remained “business as usual as far as the community is concerned”.
“People just can’t come into the watchhouse. There are still police responses as expected (and) for emergencies call Triple Zero,” he said.
Phone calls to the Swan Hill police station were being redirected to Nyah police station.
Traffic diversions were temporarily in place around the crash scene, with westbound traffic on the Murray Valley Highway diverted at Benjeroop-Tresco Road and eastbound traffic at Ridge Road.
The highway was later re-opened during the morning.
No arrests had been made late yesterday.
