Twelve die in suspected Ghana poisoning outbreak
Source: Reuters
ACCRA, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Twelve villagers who died last week in western Ghana may have been poisoned by drinking river water polluted by local fishermen, environmental officials said on Tuesday. The main source of drinking water for residents of Gwira Tumentu village is a tributary to the Ankobra river. Some locals are known to pour pesticides into the river water to kill fish, said Irene Heathcote, Western regional director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), after she visited the village on Saturday. "When we got there, ten people had already died and one died that Saturday. They were vomiting and had diarrhoea," Heathcote said. Another villager has since died, and three are being treated at a local clinic. EPA said they would be looking into the possibility of other causes such as bacterial infections.
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