POLICE evacuated the building where western Slovakia's Nitra regional and district court is located after reports that nearly 20 court employees suffered minor poisoning from a mystery substance.
Justices and other workers at the courts said they sensed a strange smell in the air that caused coughing and itching around the eyes.
All court proceedings scheduled for April 7 were postponed while ambulance staff, police, and chemical analysts gathered in the building to help court employees and inspect the scene.
Head of the civilian-protection department of the Nitra regional office, Jozef Burák, told Slovak daily Národná Obroda that tests inside the building did not show the presence of any poisonous substances. Investigations into the case continue.
14. Apr 2003 at 0:00 | From press reports of TASR and SITA
