Police in Sweden evacuate about 500 people from security agency over suspected gas leak

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A suspected gas leak at the headquarters of Sweden’s security agency Friday forced authorities to evacuate some 500 people from the facility, Swedish broadcaster TV4 said.

Seven people from the headquarters in Solna, just north of Stockholm, were hospitalized, police spokesperson Anders Bryngelsson told the TT news agency. He said there were no reports that anyone was seriously injured.

Emergency services had decided to evacuate the entire building because of a “suspected gas leak,” Bryngelsson said. He did not elaborate.

The evacuation “involves several hundred people, it is a large workplace,” he told TT.

The people admitted to the hospital had breathing problems, authorities said. Some of them were officers who smelled gas when they arrived at the scene, police said.

Images shared from the scene showed first responders and police officers wearing gas masks, and Swedish media reported that a zone measuring 500 meters (547 yards) in diameter was set up protectively.

A helicopter was seen hovering over the area.

Neighbors near the Swedish security agency, known by its acronym SAPO, were asked to close their windows.