In the dead of night, the 19th of August 2006, a group of trucks from a newly formed company Abidjan arrived to take waste away. First they illegally dumped their first load at a huge tip in Aquedo.A powerful smell engulfed the area and the tip's operators were called out and the drivers sent packing. They drove around to look for other places to dump their waste, and ending up tipping the toxic waste in 18 different places.The smell made the people gag and sicken.Thousands of people fell ill, says Esaie Modto, "There were women who miscarried, and that was very painful. But still, the worst was that three people, two adults and a girl were killed by the toxic wastes. That was very hard."
Jean Francois Kouadio and his wife, Fidel told BBC NewsNight that Fidel was eight months pregnant with their first child when the fumes swamped their home. She gave birth prematurely and their newly born son dies within a day. Born one year later was their daughter Ama Grace. She fell ill to, the docters said that she was suffering from "was suffering from acute glycaemia caused by the toxic wastes" and they couldn't do anything. Jean Francois and Fidel now fear they will never become parents.
One of the founders of Transfigura, Eric de Turckheim told Jeremy Paxman "these materials were not dangerous for human beings. It was smelly, but not dangerous."Transfigura continues to deny any wrongdoing.
By: Louise
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