Nine people from Qantas' central Auckland office are in hospital after a suspected gas leak.
A total of 12 people have been taken to hospital and dozens more assessed after the gas leak at the central Auckland office tower which prompted nausea and vomiting.
Emergency services responded to the situation about 9.35am at 19 Victoria Street West - Augusta House.
St John says in an update this afternoon that 12 people have been transported to hospital and they're all in a moderate condition.
A triage centre was set up to treat over 50 people.
Qantas said 100 people were in their office when several fell ill.
Nine of them were taken to hospital and paramedics continue to assess more at the scene.
Fire and Emergency NZ said the fumes likely came from the air conditioning and they are working with engineers to determine how this happened.
"Our people were called to an unusual smell on the, I believe third floor, of the building here. That was evacuated. There are a number of other floors that they could smell," Fire Assistant Area Commander Dave Woon told media outside the building.
"We've seen a number of people to hospital over this and the source of the smell is unidentified. We don't know what we've got," he said.
Emergency services set up cordons and a triage centre on Victoria Street West. (Source: Other)
"The smell has dissipated now, but given the symptoms that some of the people have been showing, we're taking it very seriously."
St John officer Simon Barnett said paramedics triaged approximately 50 people, "all are stable and they're very minor".
He said their symptoms were nausea, headache vomiting, shortness of breath and "generally unwell".
"Our priority is to assess as many as we can here and give self care advice. If they absolutely require transport under our recommendations we'll do that, but we don't need to send all 50 to hospital."
Some tenants remained in the building during the evacuation, and others contacted by 1 NEWS did not want to comment.
The chemical substance which caused the issue is not yet known and specialists are being brought in to test the area.


















SHARE ME