Images from the scene show police wearing gas masks
Stockholm, Sweden:
Seven people were hospitalized and evacuated from the Swedish Safety Agency office on Friday due to a suspected gas leak, authorities said, adding that the cause of the incident was not yet known.
Images from the scene showed an area called Sapo around the agency’s offices cordoned off, with police wearing gas masks and several ambulances and emergency vehicles nearby.
“Around 1:00 this afternoon, there were signs that
Patrik Soderberg, the chief doctor at the local medical facility in Stockholm, told AFP that there were dangerous substances in Szabo’s office.
“So far, five people have been taken to the hospital with respiratory symptoms and two have sought medical treatment on their own for respiratory symptoms,” Soderberg said.
He added that they did not immediately have any information about the type of substance they were dealing with.
Sapo spokesperson Karin Lutz told AFP that after receiving the alert, they had “taken steps and emergency services were on scene”.
The Nordic country is on high alert and is expected to clear the final hurdle to joining NATO on Monday, with Hungary, the last holdout, planning to vote to approve its membership.
Lutz added that the building had been “partially evacuated,” but declined to provide further details or comment on whether foul play was suspected.
Police said an area of ”several hundred meters” around the building had been cordoned off due to a “potential gas leak”.
Police said in a statement that police and emergency services attended the scene, with some officers who were taken to hospital “siffing an odor on arrival”.
Around 4:30 p.m., police said the operation was over.
Aftonbladet newspaper said witnesses reported smelling a smell that reminded them of paint and locals were told to close their windows.
The intelligence community released a report this week warning of the threats posed by foreign state actors, particularly Russia, China and Iran.
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