Several hundreds of Ivorians have been taken ill, some seriously, after inhaling toxic fumes from waste dumped two weeks ago, reportedly by a foreign-registered vessel, sources said Monday.
The teaching university hospital of Cocody, situated in one of the districts bordering the Abidjan lagoon, has treated more than 340 people between last Thursday and Monday, officials at the hospital told AFP.
Some people were seriously affected, said the source who asked not to be named.
An unknown number of people were also taken ill and treated at Treichville hospital in the commercial capital, he said.
Several daily papers reported that a highly toxic mixture was offloaded in three separate locations in Abidjan overnight August 19th to 20th by a ship chartered by a Dutch-registered company.
The minister of health and environment confirmed on Monday evening that toxic waste had been dumped at several sites in Abidjan and that measures were being taken to look after those taken ill.
"The government is continuing to search so that we can identify all the sites where waste has been spilled," Remy Allah Kouadio said on state television.
"Enquiries are ongoing, but I believe that what is important today is to see how to ensure that people do not suffer too much from the situation," the minister said.
Source: Agence France-Presse
