Bula atumba: Ten people died in the municipality of Bula Atumba, in Bengo province, allegedly from poisoning caused by the use of chemicals in illegal gold mining activities. Another four affected patients present a clinical picture similar to that of cholera patients, but examinations carried out by the health services have ruled out this hypothesis. Currently, a multisectoral team is working in the affected region, located about 65 kilometers from the municipal headquarters of Bula Atumba, having already collected water samples to determine the cause of the poisoning.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the municipal administrator of Bula Atumba, C Sndido Joo, indicated that four victims died in the hospital unit and another six at the scene, with some arriving at the hospital already in a terminal condition. He made it known that the deaths are believed to have occurred over the course of last week, and the health authorities were only notified on Monday.
"By all indications, it is a case of water-borne poisoning. I believe the artisanal miners are using toxic products in the water to facilitate their work, and the river sustains the populations of Kissala, Kissenga, and all the villages around the Lumbis River," he explained. C Sndido Joo mentioned that the four patients admitted to the Bula Atumba municipal hospital are recovering satisfactorily.
