Twelve hurt after white powder found at DHL facility in Germany

Twelve employees suffered skin wounds at a facility operated by postal and logistics giant DHL in southern Germany after a white powder was discovered, police said.

The distribution facility in the town of Langenzenn, near the city of Nuremberg, was evacuated on Friday. A police spokeswoman said there was no threat to the public.

The fire brigade said a white powder was found on several parcels. Hazardous materials experts took samples, which now need to be analyzed.

It was also hoped that dermatological examinations of those affected will provide further information.

Authorities cautioned that it is still unknown whether the powder is the cause of the skin injuries.

It is also unclear whether the substance escaped from one or more of the parcels, or was transferred onto the packages from an outside source.

The packages on which the powder was found did not come from the same sender, said district fire chief Frank Stegmann.

The fire brigade set up a decontamination shower for employees to wash off any harmful substances.