The Superdome is on lockdown for security screening as officials continue to debate whether to postpone tonight’s Sugar Bowl.
The stadium in New Orleans was set to host the College Football Playoff quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame on Wednesday night, but the game was thrown into chaos after a truck plowed into a New Year’s crowd about a mile away, killing and injuring 10 people . more than 30.
People with offices in the Superdome — including Sugar Bowl and Sun Belt Conference officials — were told not to come into work until further notice, according to AP.
However, there was no immediate word that the Sugar Bowl, which was scheduled to start at 7:45 PM local time (8:45 PM ET), might be delayed.
“The Sugar Bowl Committee is devastated by the terrible events that occurred early this morning,” said Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley. “We are in ongoing discussions with authorities at the local, state and federal levels and will communicate further details as they become available.”
A person familiar with the situation said there was no immediate indication the match would be postponed, but officials were awaiting clearance from authorities that it would be safe to hold the event at the 70,000-seat stadium on schedule .
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive and fluid nature of the conversations with authorities.
The victims occurred when a driver rammed a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day.
The driver was killed about 3:15 a.m. during a shootout with police along Bourbon Street near Canal Street, the FBI said.
The Georgia and Notre football teams arrived in New Orleans on Sunday and stayed in downtown hotels just blocks from where the violence occurred.
The Superdome, about 20 blocks away, will also host the Super Bowl on February 9.
New Orleans City Council President Helena Moreno told WDSU-TV, “What you’ll see today for the Sugar Bowl, which is going ahead, is that the security perimeter around the Superdome has been expanded to a larger zone.”
‘So of course expect extra security. There will be more police officers.”