Contaminated water could be the cause behind the deaths of two young girls and the hospitalization of dozens more in northern Colombia, said a government official Tuesday.
A three-year-old girl died before arriving to the hospital Tuesday in the city of San Jacinto del Cauca located in the Bolivar department. Her five-year-old sister died a day later.
A high number of people with similar symptoms, including fever, stomach pain and nausea, overwhelmed medical staff in the city’s hospital, resulting in the transfer of patients to the cities of Cartagena and Monteria, hours away.
“We have 20 patients who are in stable condition at our hospital,” said a health official in San Jacinto del Cauca. “We have not determined the cause.”
Although the source of sickness has yet to be determined, officials hinted it might be linked to the city’s water source. According to Maryori Camargo,the city’s First Lady, many of the city’s residents fetch their water from a tributary that has not been treated properly.