‘Suspicious’ Package of Durian Puts 6 Postal Workers in Hospital in Germany

June 23, 2020

A package of durian fruit caused a commotion at a post office in Germany, resulting in the evacuation and hospitalization of six people.

A total of twelve German postal workers received medical treatment due to nausea reportedly caused by the fruit’s pungent smell on Saturday, according to CNN.

The post office staff from Bavarian, Schweinfurt called emergency services as well as the police and firefighters after noticing the smell emanating from a “suspect package.”

In response, six ambulances, five first-responder cars and two emergency vehicles arrived at the scene. Three different fire departments were also dispatched.

Schweinfurt police department released a statement explaining the issue: “Due to the unknown content, it was initially unclear whether the suspect package posed a greater risk.”

“A total of twelve postal workers who complained of nausea had to be taken care of on site,” the statement read, adding that six of them were taken to the hospital.

Around 60 employees were forced to leave the building as the authorities prepared to examine the suspicious package.

It was eventually discovered that the package contained four Thai durian fruits which belonged to a 50-year-old local resident.

After all the commotion, the fruit was eventually sent to the recipient without further trouble.

This is not the first time the popular Southeast Asian fruit has caused unnecessary public panic.

Last year, a durian prompted the evacuation of the University of Canberra library after people mistook the odor for leaking gas. A similar incident happened inside a library in RMIT campus in Melbourne back in 2018.

Feature Image via Pixabay

Share this Article