A bomb scare ruined a major Gozo dance party on Saturday night - just hours after another hoax briefly forced the evacuation of the Eden Century cinemas in Paceville.
Hundreds of people had packed the Ku Club in Victoria for the Joy Anthems hosted by Rype Promotions, who brought an artiste from the United States for the occasion.
Event organiser John Refalo (JJoy) said policemen arrived at the establishment shortly before 2 a.m. They told him that a bomb threat had been made by phone, and he was asked to stop the event and order everybody out.
Mr Refalo said he was sure it was a false alarm and it was someone who wanted to ruin the event, which was then in full swing. But the police insisted that the event had to stop until the place was checked out by bomb disposal experts.
"I followed their orders as I was told the bomb disposal unit was on its way from Malta by patrol boat, as the next ferry was not due before 4.15 a.m.
"An hour or two passed and there was still no sign of the Bomb Disposal Unit. We therefore had to send patrons home. In fact the unit never arrived."
International artiste Greg C, said: "I knew from the beginning that this was a false alarm and that there was no bomb in the building. What annoyed me most was that there basically should have been a unit specifically to deal with these situations. How come Gozo doesn't have a unit? Why does Gozo have to wait for a unit from Malta to come over. Bombs don't wait for anyone!
An AFM spokesperson said: "At 1.45 a.m. we were informed by the Gozo police that there was a bomb threat at Ku Club in Gozo.
Members of the EOD unit attempted a get to Malta on a search and rescue launch, since that is one of AFM's fastest assets, but given the adverse weather conditions (including a Force 8 wind), it was impossible to get there. An EOD officer and two other soldiers from Qortin base near Nadur conducted a thorough search at 3.38 a.m. and it was confirmed that the call was a hoax.
The event organisers said that they will be hosting the event once again during the coming weeks as a thank you to the same patrons.