Cholera claims 100 in Liberia
2005-08-11 14:27
Monrovia - A cholera outbreak has claimed more than one hundred lives at an illegal gold and diamond mine in southeast Liberia, it emerged on Thursday.
The Catholic-run Radio Veritas reported that the outbreak in the town of Butaw in Sinoe County, which started last week, was the result of poor sanitation.
A resident of the area, recently arrived in Monrovia, said a creek used for drinking water was contaminated by raw sewage.
Information Minister William Allen confirmed the outbreak, and the health ministry had dispatched a team to the area.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the United Nations Mission in Liberia said the situation had been brought under control.
According to the information ministry, thousands of illegal miners, including many Ghanaians, Nigerians and Mauritanians, were said to be operating illegally in Sinoe County in an area of protected forest.
- SAPA