PARTS of Dublin Airport were evacuated for a short time this morning after a smoke alarm went off in Terminal 2.

"Someone had a cigarette in the toilets and that set off an alarm," said spokesperson for Dublin Airport Authority, Siobhan O'Donnell.

"As normal procedure we had to evacuate the building to make sure there was nothing more sinister."

"We had to take all the necessary precautions and go through all the security checks," Ms O'Donnell said.

It was initially suggested on social media that the evacuation was due to a bomb scare but that was dismissed by the DAA.

A "couple of hundred people" were evacuated from Terminal 2 during the alarm, the DAA said. The passengers were out of the building for about seven minutes and have since returned to Terminal 2.

There are no disruptions to any flights.

RTE's Ryan Tubridy is broadcasting from the airport this morning and said on air that his team was evacuated shortly before 9am - but the show was able to go on as normal after the nine o'clock news.

Online Editors