New York Port Authority reopens after 'white powder' sparks scare

The once suspicious powder has been deemed to be non-hazardous

Portions of New York's Port Authority Bus Terminal — one of the largest transportation hubs in the United States — have been reopened after an evacuation conducted after police found a non-hazardous "white substance" in a walkway, according to the New York Police Department and the terminal itself.

The terminal was only partially cleared as officials began investigating what was later deemed to be a cleaning agent that spilled, and the terminal reopened by 10.15am, according to New York Pix 11.

One man at the scene said that he went to a Starbucks after police arrived, and that he was told he "might be stuck there for a while".

The crowds were reportedly orderly. No injuries were immediately reported.

Police say that they received a call for a suspicious package just after 9 am, leading to the evacuations.

Port Authority, originally built in 1949, is located at the heart of Times Square, and services a quarter of a million people every day, and has 8,000 buses pass through it each day. The terminal, which connects New York to nearby states like New Jersey — among others — is expected to see another 100,000 people pass through it each day by 2040.