A school in Lower Austria was evacuated on Tuesday after the discovery of a highly explosive chemical, police have confirmed.

Around 250 people were safely evacuated after picric acid was found in a chemical cabinet in the laboratory at HTL Mödling.

Specialist teams from the police and fire brigade were called in to secure, remove, and dispose of the dangerous substance. The defusing unit from the Ministry of the Interior was also involved in the operation.

HTL Mödling is one of the largest schools in Europe, with more than 3,500 pupils, according to a statement from the fire brigade. No one was harmed, confirmed police spokesman Raimund Schwaigerlehner.

Similar incidents occurred in the Waldviertel region just under a year ago. In November 2023, dried picric acid prompted the evacuation of the Groß-Siegharts secondary school in the Waidhofen an der Thaya district, and a few days later, the new secondary school in Bad Großpertholz (Gmünd district) was also evacuated.

Following these incidents, schools were urged to inspect their chemical inventories, with a heightened awareness of the risks posed by picric acid. The substance is considered safe when wet but becomes highly explosive when dry. Even slight shocks or unscrewing its container can cause an explosion, the fire brigade warned.