Deputy Mayor Of Amsterdam Accepts Responsibility For Ivory Coast Toxic Scandal - AFP

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A deputy mayor of Amsterdam on Wednesday said the city was politically responsible for a decision to allow a toxic waste-bearing tanker to leave for Ivory Coast where 10 people were killed by poisonous fumes.

In August, hundreds of tons of petroleum waste brought into Ivory Coast by a multinational, Trafigura, were dumped illicitly across more than a dozen open-air rubbish tips around the commercial capital of Abidjan. The toxic sludge caused contamination blamed for the deaths of at least 10 people and left dozens hospitalized, sparking demonstrations in the west African nation.

The tanker carrying the waste, the Probo Koala, had previously unsuccessfully tried to offload its toxic cargo in Amsterdam before sailing on to Ivory Coast. "Several things went badly in Amsterdam. We feel politically responsible," Marijke Vos, deputy mayor in charge of the environment, told a news conference on Wednesday.

Vos vowed to improve the chain of command in the port of Amsterdam, which allowed the Probo Koala to reload the toxic waste after the port company APS declined to treat the poisonous liquid.

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/2006/061206163357.vma7pvgf.html