Eleven people, including nine Marines, were being treated for injuries on Tuesday after an envelope carrying a hazardous but unknown substance was opened on a Virginia base down the street from the Pentagon, the authorities said.
Hazardous materials teams responded to the base in Fort Myer, Va., after two Marines who initially handled the envelope started having an unspecified physical reaction to the substance, said a military official familiar with the episode who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
UPDATE FROM JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL:
An envelope was received, today, aboard Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall around 3:30 p.m., on the Marine Corps side of the base. Shortly after receiving the letter, 11 people started to feel ill and caused the evacuation of the building.
— U.S. Marines (@USMC) February 28, 2018
The official said the envelope was addressed to the Marines’ headquarters battalion on the base, not to an individual. A Marine in the unit’s administrative section opened the envelope and, because it looked suspicious, called over another Marine to inspect it, the official said.
In a statement, the Marine Corps said the F.B.I. was aiding with the investigation. “Shortly after receiving the letter, 11 people started to feel ill and caused the evacuation of the building,” the statement said.
The base’s fire department reported that the 11 people were evaluated and decontaminated, three of whom were sent to an area hospital.
Engine 161’s crew evacuated and decontaminated 11 patients from the hazard area, all evaluated by EMS-3transported to area hospital. All units have picked up, scene turned over to @FBIWFO @FBI pic.twitter.com/cAbNW75zOJ
— IAFF LOCAL F253 (@FortMyerFire) February 28, 2018
The military official said medics were evaluating six Marines and two emergency officers who were quarantined in a base gym. The battalion administrative unit was locked down shortly after the envelope was unsealed, and the rest of the base remained open.
Fort Myer is adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery and is jointly controlled by the Army and Marine Corps. It is also home to the Army’s Third Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, which serves as the presidential honor guard.
Source: News Agencies
