Chaos broke out at the Gateway Theatre of Shopping yesterday evening when shoppers were asked to evacuate the building following a bomb threat.

According to an article by the Phoenix Sun shoppers and employees left in their droves in their attempt to get as far away from the mall as possible.

Police and the bomb squad arrived to sweep the mall for any signs of a bomb. The scene was highly charged as patrons waited apprehensively for signs of an explosion.

Management apologised to shoppers for the scare. They also issued an official statement on their Facebook page. The post read, ‘Please note we received a bomb threat earlier this evening. All required procedures are being followed. We have evacuated the centre while the bomb squad sweeps the mall to ensure all is alright. Centre Management regrets the inconvenience to shoppers and retailers and appreciate your cooperation in responding to the evacuation request. We will keep you updated.’ A broadcast was also sent out via Blackberry Messenger. The message read, ‘Guys get out of Gateway!!! Gateway currently outa bounds. There is a bomb scare!!! All workers are out of Gateway and are fully evacuated. Stay safe! (sic)

This was the second bomb threat to hit the North Coast yesterday after a suspicious device was discovered at the Verulam Court on Thursday morning. Police are on high alert with regard to any further threats.