The explosion in a building at Harvard Medical School on Saturday affected a small section of a hallway on one floor and inflicted no structural damage to the building, officials of the school said on Sunday.
The section of hallway, on the fourth floor of the Goldenson Building on the school’s Longwood campus in Boston, has been cleared and is “fully operational,” the officials said, and all labs and equipment in the building “remain intact.” No one was injured in the blast, and the Boston Police Department on Saturday did not find additional explosive devices.
Details of the areas affected by the explosion, which the authorities said was intentional, came as local and federal investigators continued their search for two suspects.
But the Harvard University police said there was not an active threat to the community and that it was safe for students and faculty members to return.
The university police have increased their presence on the Longwood campus, the school said, “which we hope will provide an added sense of comfort and security to our community.”
The Goldenson Building remained open over the weekend, and cleaning crews worked on Sunday to prepare it for the start of the week, school officials said.
The explosion, which occurred shortly before 3 a.m. on Saturday, set off a fire alarm, dispatching a university police officer, Steven G. Catalano, a spokesman for the university police, said in a statement. As the officer approached the scene, two people fled from the building. The officer tried to stop them before entering the building, Mr. Catalano said.
The Harvard police released still images from video surveillance of the two people they were seeking, asking for the public’s assistance in identifying them. One appeared to wear khaki pants and Crocs and a brown hooded sweatshirt that appeared to say “NYC” on it; the other appeared to wear dark plaid pajama pants and a dark hooded sweatshirt. Both individuals wore light-colored ski masks.
The building appears to hold portions of the neurobiology department, according to the school’s website. But officials have not indicated what motive, if any, was behind the explosion.
The incident is being investigated by the university police and the Boston Field Office of the F.B.I.
Rylee Kirk contributed reporting.
Bernard Mokam covers breaking news.
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