Rio Olympics 2016: Blast near cycle route; all are safe, tweets Sushma Swaraj

A loud blast was heard near the finish line of the Olympics men’s cycling road race today. According to reports, the bomb squad was rushed to spot and was investigating the matter.  

Reporters could hear a loud boom on the press tribune and felt the ground shake as the cyclists had about 70 kilometers to go today.

A half dozen military police were cordoning off the area. No one was immediately evacuated, and it did not appear that anyone was injured. The race was continuing and had not been rerouted.

The Brazilian military, later, carried out a controlled explosion in the vicinity of the first blast. Military bomb disposal experts were at the scene of the explosion and kept crowds away with police.The explosion stunned crowds gathering for the end of the race. 

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Sushwa Swaraj tweeted that Indian Ambassador Sunil Lal was camping in Rio and in constant touch with her. “All are safe,” she said. 

Rio Blast - Indian Ambassador Sunil Lal is camping in Rio and in constant touch with me. All are safe. @sandeepsonu000

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) August 6, 2016