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Cape Town - Just days before the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, a controlled explosion had to be carried out at the Maracana Stadium after police discovered a suspicious looking device.
Brazilian police sent in a robot to investigate a toolbox at the stadium on Sunday, where rehearsals were taking place for the opening ceremony on Friday.
Once the robot came in contact with the toolbox, a loud explosion was heard, but no injuries were reported.
Authorities have yet to confirm whether the package was a bomb or not.
Regardless, it is the latest incident to mar the upcoming Games.
Last week, the torch procession was attacked by protesters, and Artel, the firm put in charge of security for the event, had its contract terminated for “incompetence and irresponsibility” as they only hired 500 security personnel when they were supposed to have employed 3 400 security staff.
In addition to security issues, the Zika virus has also had a negative impact on the Olympics as numerous athletes from a variety of sports have pulled out due to concerns about the mosquito-borne virus, which causes severe birth defects.
