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Authorities Downplay Texas Powder Scare

Aired August 20, 2002 - 14:24   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: A scare at an office in McAllen, Texas, involving a white powder -- of course, that brings to mind anthrax. Dozens of folks were in the building at the time, and some apparently suffered some sort of a reaction.
Reporter Bertha Gonzalez with CNN affiliate KNVO is in McAllen.

BERTHA GONZALEZ, KNVO REPORTER: For a span of approximately three hours, a section of Jackson Road located in McAllen, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, was shut down to traffic, this due to some various mysterious packages found in a telemarketing complex by the name of hotel.com.

The city authorities of McAllen, including the police department and fire department, did come to the scene of the current immediately -- also were the chemical response team -- they immediately put the packages in a plastic bag, taking the necessary precautions and keeping every single employee of the complex in necessary distance, safety distance.

The packages were examined for any kind of chemicals.

Also 70 people -- approximately 70 people -- were evacuated from this place of employment. Four people did have direct contact with the substance, with the packages, and we were informed that they did seem to react to the packages. They had facial rashes and also in their arms.

About 10 minutes ago, the police department and the fire department of city of McAllen did have a press conference, and they did inform us that the packages did not contain any type of poisonous or chemical substance in them, that they were clear. Apparently, the odor and the substances were coming from a drainage pump.

The chemical response team is still in a site. They are still investigating the four people, are still in the hospital getting treatment. But apparently, the situation is under control, and no further investigation is going on inside the building. But yes, the chemical response team is still at the site.

This is the information. We are still here on the site. Back to you, Carol Lin, in Atlanta.

LIN: Thank you very much, Bertha Gonzalez, reporting live out of McAllen, Texas.

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