Bomb scare closes main Ottawa-Quebec bridge

OTTAWA, Canada (Reuters) -- A rush-hour bomb scare closed the most heavily used bridge linking Ottawa with the province of Quebec on Tuesday.

The MacDonald-Cartier Bridge was closed at about 7:30 a.m. (1230 GMT), causing mass disruption to already heavy traffic. It remained shut into the middle of the morning as bomb technicians probed the icy waters around the foundations.

"Our bomb guys are at the bridge," Ottawa police spokesman Staff Sgt. Richard Dugal said, adding that nothing had been found so far.

Police said a call was placed to Quebec's Ministry of Transportation, and police were quickly notified, but the motive was not immediately clear.

"It doesn't show that it is related to any politics," said Yves Martel, spokesman for the police in Hull, the city in Quebec across the Ottawa River. "Nothing seems to look like it's terrorism either.

"It could be more like a hoax, but we don't take any chances," he added.

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