STOCKHOLM, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Seven people were hospitalized with respiratory problems on Friday after the Swedish Security Service's headquarters in Stockholm were evacuated due to a gas leak.

       The alarm was raised just after lunchtime, and emergency services deployed staff in hazmat suits. Swedish channel TV 4 reported that 500 people were evacuated from the building.

       Around 150 people working in a neighboring office building were also evacuated, Swedish Television reported.

       "We have cordoned off a radius of 500 meters, something that applies to pedestrians as well as motorists," police spokesperson Anders Bryngelsson told TT news agency.

       A nearby highway ramp on one of Stockholm's major thoroughfares was also shut down, TT reported.

       "The government is following the development and is in contact with the Security Service," Minister for Justice Gunnar Strommer told TT.