Team of 8 Health Officials, Journalists on Ebola Awareness Trip Killed in Guinea
A team of health officials accompanied by journalists came to the village of Womey to educate people about how to avoid contracting Ebola. Instead, a group of local residents turned on their would-be benefactors, attacking them with knives and rocks and killing eight of them, witnesses say.
Guinea's government said in a statement Friday that six people have been arrested in connection with the attack earlier this week on the health and government officials, who were conducting disinfection and providing education on prevention methods.
There have been attacks on health centers in several affected countries, but these are the first fatalities.
"The government strongly condemns the killings of these Guinean citizens including those officials who were carrying out their duties at the time," the statement issued by the presidency of Guinea said. "These crimes are especially regrettable coming at a time when the international community is mobilizing to help the affected countries in their fight against the Ebola virus."
According to Mashable, the victims from Tuesday's attack included the deputy administrative official in Womey and the head of the health-care center there. Two top health officials from the nearby town of N'Zerekore were killed, along with a pastor and three radio journalists who had been covering the awareness campaigning. The son of the deputy administrative official managed to escape, and survived, the government said.
Some of the victims' bodies were discovered in a septic tank in a school close to the city of Nzerekore, the BBC reported.
Doctors Without Borders had to temporarily suspend operations in Macenta, Guinea back in April after a crowd attacked the facility. The mob accused aid workers of starting the outbreak. Some young people threw rocks at the aid workers, though no one was seriously hurt.
More than 2,600 people have died across West Africa from Ebola, including at least 500 people in Guinea.
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| Health workers teach people about the Ebola virus and how to prevent infection, in Conakry, Guinea, Photo by Youssouf Bah/AP |
There have been attacks on health centers in several affected countries, but these are the first fatalities.
"The government strongly condemns the killings of these Guinean citizens including those officials who were carrying out their duties at the time," the statement issued by the presidency of Guinea said. "These crimes are especially regrettable coming at a time when the international community is mobilizing to help the affected countries in their fight against the Ebola virus."
According to Mashable, the victims from Tuesday's attack included the deputy administrative official in Womey and the head of the health-care center there. Two top health officials from the nearby town of N'Zerekore were killed, along with a pastor and three radio journalists who had been covering the awareness campaigning. The son of the deputy administrative official managed to escape, and survived, the government said.
Some of the victims' bodies were discovered in a septic tank in a school close to the city of Nzerekore, the BBC reported.
Doctors Without Borders had to temporarily suspend operations in Macenta, Guinea back in April after a crowd attacked the facility. The mob accused aid workers of starting the outbreak. Some young people threw rocks at the aid workers, though no one was seriously hurt.
More than 2,600 people have died across West Africa from Ebola, including at least 500 people in Guinea.
Team of 8 Health Officials, Journalists on Ebola Awareness Trip Killed in Guinea
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