Emergency evacuation of Cairns office: Hazmat team called in as staff are rushed to hospital

Eleven people were taken to hospital with dizziness and nausea, sparking a hazardous materials investigation at a Far North Queensland office.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads office building in Cairns was evacuated after staff fell ill on Thursday.

Paramedics were called to the office around 8 a.m. after reports of people suffering from dizziness and nausea.

Lauretta Howarth, from the Queensland Ambulance Service, said some people had passed out or were dizzy and others were complaining of a “funny taste” in their mouth.

“After the team arrived on scene they realized quite quickly that there was an incident in progress and there was not just one person affected,” Ms Howarth said.

The 11 people affected were in stable condition.

Hazardous materials experts are investigating the incident.