Marines become ill after suspicious letter arrives at Virginia military base

Catherine Garcia, The Week US's avatar
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last updated
A person in a hazmat suit.
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Nearly a dozen people became sick after a letter containing an unknown substance was opened at a northern Virginia military base on Tuesday afternoon, with three having to go to a local hospital after complaining of sore throats and burning sensations on their skin.

The incident took place at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall near Arlington, and once people began to say they felt sick, the building was evacuated, the Marine Corps announced on Twitter. Area hazmat teams and FBI investigators are on the scene.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.