British Museum Reopens,

Arts, Briefly

The New York Times,

Compiled by DAVE ITZKOFF

Published: August 30, 2010

A cause has yet to be identified for an episode on Saturday at the British Museum that forced the evacuation of the building when several visitors said their eyes and throats had become irritated. BBC News reported that at least 8,000 people were evacuated from the museum on Saturday afternoon during what was described as a “gas incident.” A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police of London told The Daily Telegraph that visitors had “reported a funny smell on the premises and had mild irritation to the throat and eyes.” A museum spokeswoman told the BBC that firefighters had come to the scene and searched the building but “could not find anything.” A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade told the BBC that the museum had been checked for four hours but that nothing had been detected. He added, “People may well have smelled something, but it dispersed before we got there.” No injuries were reported, and the museum reopened on Sunday.