Finnish authorities detect sulphur-like smell in Helsinki region

People walk during sunny weather in Helsinki, Finland January 16, 2021. Lehtikuva/Vesa Moilanen

HELSINKI - A strong smell resembling that of sulphur or burnt rubber was detected in the region around Finland's capital Helsinki, the city's rescue department said on Sunday.

The smell has been reported in an area spanning at least 60 km (37 miles) along Finland's southern coastline, the department said.

"The rescue department and other authorities are looking into the matter," it wrote in a post on X.

There was no immediate indication that the smell was a health hazard, it added.

Russian media outlet Fontanka reported on Sunday that residents in several areas of St Petersburg, the Russian city closest to Finland, had complained of an unpleasant odour, comparing it to that of gas, garbage or burnt rubber.

According to local authorities cited by Fontanka, monitoring stations had not recorded anything above the permitted levels of air pollution.

(Reporting by Anne Kauranen in Helsinki and Maxim Rodionov in London; Editing by Hugh Lawson)