Possible powder letter in application center Ter Apel turns out to be moldy passport

taketonews

In the Ter Apel application center, alarm phase number one was yesterday afternoon. White powder that fell from an opened envelope put everyone on high alert, but in the end a passport that was no longer in the best shape was the cause of the commotion.

Report sources RTV North that the passport caused a temporary halt to work at the IND. It came in the mail and when the envelope was opened an employee saw that it contained ‘white powder’. Part of the building was then evacuated, while in another part staff had to stay indoors until there was clarity about the powder. A hazardous materials specialist was also called in.

The employees immediately decided to be on the safe side. According to IND spokesperson Mijke Bol, the so-called ‘powder letter protocol’ was activated. “The employee and the mail item go into quarantine and then the emergency services are called. They then take over,” explains Bol.

A few hours later it turned out that it was not a hazardous substance: a false alarm. Nevertheless, the authorities look back with satisfaction on how the incident was handled. “It went as it should have gone. All procedures were carried out correctly,” says Bol.

The police also say that everything went according to the correct protocols. As a result, employees of the IND were able to start packing evening just after the start of the evening yesterday.

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