Robbers
in Guinea have stolen blood samples believed to be infected with Ebola,
the Red Cross in the West African nation has said.
The
samples, stored in tightly wrapped vials tucked into a cooler bag, were
in the care of a Red Cross courier who was among nine....
passengers
sharing a taxi when three men on a motorbike robbed the vehicle and took
the samples, said Saa Mamady Leno of the Red Cross in Gueckedou.
The
robbers forced the passengers out of the vehicle on Wednesday, stole
mobile phones, cash and jewelry, and fired into the air as they demanded
the handover of the cooler bag, Leno said.
The
courier was taking the blood samples on a 265km journey along winding
rural roads from central Kankan prefecture to a test site in southern
Gueckedou.
Faya
Etienne Tolno, a spokesman for the Guinea Red Cross, said the aid group
had a shortage of vehicles for transport, which explains why a taxi was
used. No one was injured in the incident, which took place on a road
known for banditry.
Authorities publicly appealed on national radio on Friday to the unidentified robbers to hand over the samples.
Ebola virus emerged in Guinea at the start of the year and has infected around 1,900 Guineans, killing almost 1,200.
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