"Gabes has turned into a city of death, people are struggling to breathe, many residents suffer from cancer or bone fragility due to the severe pollution, Khaireddine Dbaya, one of the protesters, told the Reuters news agency. The protest turned violent as police fired tear gas and chased demonstrators through the city streets, Reuters reported. Some protesters tried to set fire to a branch office of the CGT's administration, while others blocked roads in the city, according to local media."
"On top of respiratory problems, some patients suffered from leg pain, numbness, and loss of mobility, said local defence deputy chief Ghofrane Touati. Resident Tawfik Dhaifallah said his little sister was suffocating because of the fumes emanating from the city's industrial zone. That happens every two or three days. The latest hospitalisations are part of spike in reported cases of respiratory problems that residents blame on fumes from the Tunisian Chemical Group's (CGT) phosphate headquarters."
More than 120 people were hospitalised in Gabes during a surge of respiratory and other health problems linked to industrial fumes. Children with breathing difficulties were admitted to Gabes University Hospital and dozens of students were also hospitalised. Patients experienced respiratory distress as well as leg pain, numbness and loss of mobility. Residents attribute the spike to emissions from the Tunisian Chemical Group's phosphate headquarters, a site pledged for gradual closure in 2017 that remains operational. Anger over pollution led residents to storm the complex on October 11, triggering clashes with police, tear gas, attempts to set fire to a CGT office and roadblocks.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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