5 Dead, 6,000 Poisoned In Cote d'Ivoire Toxic Dumping Scandal - AFP

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Five people have died and more than 6,000 people have been poisoned by toxic chemicals that were dumped last month in open-air junk yards in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's health ministry said Sunday. The previous toll from the pollution scandal that came to light one week ago was three dead and 5,000 poisoned. The new deaths were of two men -- a detainee in a local prison and a 19-year-old youth.
The health ministry indicated that the number of people seeking medical treatment was falling, however.

"It appears that less people went to health centres yesterday than in previous days," health ministry spokesman Simeon N'Da said. In his Sunday sermon, a priest in an upmarket city neighbourhood which has been badly hit by the pollution slammed those responsible, denouncing the "demonic behaviour of people who took the liberty of discharging these products".

Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbago was due to chair a meeting on Sunday of the emergency inter-ministerial committee, specially set up to fight the pollution, which has announced a plan to neutralise toxic fumes emanating from the waste.

A total of 538 tonnes of liquid waste was unloaded in August from a Panamanian-registered ship, according the port's manifest sheet, and dumped onto about 10 open-air sites in the commercial capital Abidjan, a city of four million people.

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http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Five_Dead_6000_Poisoned_In_Ivory_Coast_Toxic_Waste_Disaster_999.html