STOCKHOLM, Sweden: Eight people, including a police officer, were hospitalized after a mysterious incident occurred at the headquarters of the Swedish security services, according to the BBC.
About 500 people were evacuated after workers complained of a strange smell.
It was initially reported as a suspected gas leak, but security officials later confirmed that no gas was detected inside or outside the building.
The police investigated the cause of these alarms and started the preliminary investigation.
Local media had earlier reported that sensors on the roof of the phosgene building had been detected, but authorities have not confirmed this.
Phosgene is used in the production of plastics and pesticides and was responsible for most of the chemical deaths during World War I.
At 12:30 p.m. on Friday (11:30 p.m. Japan time), emergency services launched a massive operation after receiving a call from Swedish security agency Supo’s headquarters in Solna, just outside Stockholm city center.
The nearest exit to the nearby highway was closed and a fence of several hundred meters was stretched around the property. The building was partially evacuated.
Six people were taken to the hospital with complaints of breathing problems and two others were hospitalized. An officer “noticed an odor upon arrival,” police said.
Footage from the scene shows police officers wearing gas masks and helicopters circling the area. People living in nearby buildings were told to close their windows.
The incident occurred during Prime Minister Olaf Kristerson’s visit to the capital of Hungary, the only NATO member country that has not yet confirmed Stockholm’s membership in the alliance.
Hungary’s parliament is expected to approve Sweden’s membership on Monday.
