Harmless powder overcomes three in Oz

Three people were treated for nausea and dizziness today after a package containing white powder was delivered to an electrical store in the southern city of Melbourne.

But the powder was harmless.

The victims became ill after panicking, authorities said.

“The vegetable powder, which is harmless, is used when bank notes are packed to stop them sticking together,” a spokesman for Victoria state’s Department of Human Services said. “This was not a chemical incident.”

An ambulance service spokesman said three people were treated for nausea, sore throats and dizziness.