MELBOURNE, Australia — The pungent smell of a rotting durian fruit in an Australian university library has been mistaken for a gas leak, prompting an evacuation of the building.
Specialist crews wearing masks searched the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology university campus library, but all they found was rotting durian in a cupboard.
About 600 staff and students had cleared the building.
A Metropolitan Fire Brigade spokesman said the smell alarmed staff and students as it permeated the air-conditioning system.
Durian is a tropical fruit known for its strong smell. It is commonly banned from hotel rooms and public transport across Southeast Asia.