Carbon monoxide kills 14 in French Guiana
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
by Ivan Cairo
Caribbean Net News Suriname Correspondent
Email: ivan@caribbeannetnews.com
PARAMARIBO, Suriname: On Friday, police in French Guiana discovered 14 dead bodies including 12 children, in an isolated village bordering Suriname. Strong evidence indicates the victims died from carbon monoxide inhalation.
A neighbor discovered the 14 bodies in a hut in Loka, a small maroon village on the Maroni River. About 200 people live in the village which is accessible only by helicopter or boat.
According to Col. Michel Pons, military police commander, the victims were members of a family and included a 34-year-old father and his 10 children, along with his sister-in-law and her two children.
His wife escaped the drama, because she was giving birth in a hospital in the capital Cayenne.
The victims belonged to the Aluku maroon tribe, which have settlements in both Suriname and French Guiana.
According to a witness there was an electric generator in the hut. "It seemed to have been running all night and there was no more petrol inside,? he told local reporters.
In an interview with France?s LCI television, Pierre Pauchard, director of the Andree Rosemon Hospital, announced the deaths were caused by a faulty power generator that leaked carbon monoxide.
"The people likely fell asleep and breathed in this carbon monoxide gas while they were asleep,? he told LCI. |
