The third day of the first Test is interrupted when an alarm leads to a full venue evacuation in Dunedin
Ground evacuation halts Dunedin Test
New Zealand's first Test against South Africa has resumed after it was halted for around 15 minutes when an emergency alarm at Dunedin's University Oval forced a full venue evacuation.
The Proteas were 1-14 in their second innings when an emergency alarm rang out around the picturesque ground, leading both teams to walk off and mingle on the side of the playing surface.
That means us, too! Full Venus evacuation. Fire Brigade here but there's no fire. Bomb scare?? pic.twitter.com/BTbg3cVBQk
— Neil Manthorp (@NeilManthorp) March 10, 2017
The fans at the ground weren't in any hurry to move along, with the majority only starting to evacuate the ground when several fire engines pulled up outside the venue.
The local broadcast also cut out a short time later, with Sky NZ commentators saying they too had to evacuate the ground.
Have never seen Test match cricket brought to a halt and the entire ground having to evacuate #firealarm #NZvSA
— Erin Osborne (@eosborne67) March 10, 2017
While spectators and journalists evacuated, the players remained inside the venue and mingled on the playing surface.
And a short time later, the official all clear was given by the fire department and play resumed.
It's not yet clear what caused the alarm.