More than 68 people treated for breathing problems and burning eyes Sunday afternoon after an irritant — believed to have been pepper spray — was circulated via the air vents in the Hamburg airport.
Air traffic was shut down and hundreds of travelers were temporarily evacuated from the terminal while the building was searched shortly after 12 noon. Subway and vehicular traffic to the airport was also temporarily blocked. At least 13 flights were affected. Two were diverted to Bremen, 65 miles away.
Firefighters and ambulance workers ordered passengers to leave the building and wait outside in sub-zero temperatures, according to The Guardian, while those affected were examined to determine whether they needed to be taken to hospitals.
A total of nine were hospitalized. All told, 1,500 people were affected by the incident, which struck Germany’s fifth busiest airport.