Two Nicosia nurseries were evacuated on Thursday morning after receiving an email threatening to blow them up unless they paid a ransom.

The first email was received in the morning while the second one was reportedly sent not too long afterwards to a nursery in the same area.

In both cases the children were taken outside to safety while bomb squad officers examined the premises finding nothing suspicious.

No official details concerning the email were immediately available, as police were trying to track down the sender. As regards the first case, however, sources told the Cyprus Mail that the ransom threat was for €80,000 worth of bitcoins. It is understood that a similar demand was made in the second email.