Police in Belize are continuing the search for a person who allegedly tried to poison almost 2,000 residents of the San Vicente Village, Toledo District between Sunday and Monday last week.
Оn Мау 16, аn unknоwn еntіtу соntаmіnаtеd thе water ѕuррlу оf Ѕаn Vісеntе Vіllаgе іn thе Тоlеdо Dіѕtrісt. Whіlе оnе ѕuѕресt wаѕ dеtаіnеd ѕhоrtlу аftеr, роlісе соnfіrmеd thаt thе реrѕоn wаѕ lаtеr rеlеаѕеd.
It’s reported that a resident of the village had poured a bottle of an insecticide known as Malathion. The shocking act potentially exposed an entire village of around 400 persons to the harmful chemical, but the villagers became aware of what had transpired when they started to smell an odor emanating from their pipes that alerted them that something was amiss.
“No one has been arrested and charged for that. Investigators are still doing their best to find the orchestrator of that crime. Poisoning a water system is like a public terror. You can cause harm to more than one person and, in these villages, we know that they rely on the water system for everything, so we are not letting go of that investigation,” Assistant Superintendent of Police, Fitzroy Yearwood, told a news conference.
The Pesticides Control Board (PCB) has indicated that the bottle of Malathion 57 EC formula that the person emptied into the village’s water supply was not a registered formulation in Belize and had been illegally imported into the country.
In a statement, the PCB said Malathion, the active ingredient of the formulated pesticide is, like any other pesticide, a poison whose unintended uses can be fatal or cause serious health issues for people.
Media reports said several villagers had become ill and had to seek medical treatment following the poisoning. Some community members who have been exhibiting possible associated symptoms have been transported to the Punta Gorda Hospital and are being monitored by medical personnel.
CMC/
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