'Topmodel' finale evacuated after bomb scare

More than 8,000 audience members of the live finale of the popular reality show, "Germany's Next Topmodel," had to be evacuated on Thursday evening after program makers received a bomb scare.

The show was pulled from the air at about 9:30 p.m. local time (1930 UTC), with the show initially blaming technical problems.

A short time later, broadcaster ProSieben said it would not be airing the show on Thursday evening.

A later tweet said the hall in Mannheim had been safely evacuated after a bomb scare.

Unidentified woman called in threat

Police initially said they had no information of a bomb scare, the evacuation of the hall having been ordered by event organizers. Later in the evening, police confirmed that there had been a bomb threat, called in by an unidentified female.

Audience members waited outside, many having fled without bags and coats in their haste. They were later told to go home.

Four young women were competing in the finale of the 10th series of "Germany's Next Topmodel," one of the country's most popular television shows. Presented by German model Heidi Klum, the show is based on model Tyra Banks' show "America's Next Top Model."

rc/cmk (dpa, AFP)