Bomb scare in Australia's Hobart city

Sydney (IANS) - A suspicious package thought to be a bomb closed a major street in Australia's Hobart city but was nothing more than a child's toy, police said Friday.

Police closed the busy Liverpool Street in central Hobart after the discovery of a yellow package, which had wires, a speaker and a battery, the Age reported.

Businesses and residences were evacuated and the bomb squad was called in.

Police launched an investigation to find the culprit, but later said the device was just a toy.

"The item was not placed with any intent to cause a nuisance or harm to the public in any way. It was the discarded internal speaker mechanism from an child's audible toy," a statement said.