SYDNEY, April 30 (Xinhua) -- More than 500 students and staff were evacuated from a university library in Melbourne, Australia on Saturday after the smell of a rotting durian fruit was mistaken for a gas leak, local media reported.

Photo: VCG

The durian is a Southeast Asian fruit known for its strong, stinky smell.

Firefighters said the odor had made its way through the building via the air conditioning system at the library of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, the Herald Sun reported.

Students and teachers at the campus library were evacuated by local police after reports of a smell of "gas". The fire brigade sent out an alert about a chemical hazard.

After a "comprehensive search", Melbourne's Metropolitan Fire Brigade discovered that the smell actually came from a rotting durian stashed in a cupboard. The building has been reopened after the smelly fruit was located and removed.

Durians are notorious for their prickly outer shell and pungent aroma, which is often likened to a rotting trash or gym socks. But they are also relished for their sweet and creamy flesh.