1 dead, 8 sick in hazmat incident at San Jose hotel

SAN JOSE (AP) — Authorities say one woman has died and eight people have been sickened in a hazmat incident Saturday at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose.

San Jose Police Officer Gina Tepoorten says authorities are investigating the death as a suicide.

KTVU reports Saturday that guests of the hotel reported smelling a chemical odor — similar to a rotten egg —and feeling faint, light-headed and short of breath.

Tepoorten says in an email the hazmat incident is related to the woman’s suicide.

The TV station reports the woman who died is believed to be a hotel guest. The six other people affected were taken to hospitals but none was believed to be in life-threatening condition.

Officials from the San Jose Fire Department could not immediately be reached.