The pungent fruit was sent in a package
Mothership reports that 18 German postal workers were hospitalised after being exposed to the smell of durian.
Durian, AKA ‘The King Of Fruits’, is a delicacy in Southeast Asia but is notoriously known for its pungent smell.
60 employees were evacuated from the Bavarian post office after a package emitting a suspicious smell was discovered. 18 workers received medical treatment and were taken to hospital.
Firefighters, police and emergency services were called to the post office in Schweinfurt on Sunday 20 June after staff reported the suspicious package. Six ambulances, five first-responder cars and two emergency vehicles were called to the site.
It was later revealed that the package contained four Thai durian fruits. A 50-year-old resident of the town had been sent the fruits from a friend in Nuremberg.
“Due to the unknown content, it was initially unclear whether the suspect package posed a greater risk,” a statement from Schweinfurt police department explained.
“A total of 12 postal workers who complained of nausea had to be taken care of on site,” police in Schweinfurt added.
Last year the University of Canberra library was evacuated after mistaking the smell of durian as a gas leak.