Support The Moscow Times!

Spilled Anthrax Vaccine Shipment Endangers Siberian Village

A shipment of an anthrax vaccine for cattle that is believed to have sunk in a Siberian river remains missing, stoking fears of contamination in a local village. Sergei Porter / Vedomosti

A shipment of an anthrax vaccine for cattle that is believed to have sunk in a Siberian river remains missing, stoking fears of contamination in a local village.

Consumer safety agency Rospotrebnadzor has switched to monitoring hospitals and livestock in the region of Sakha, also known as Yakutia, after "maximum search efforts" have yielded no results in trying to locate a boat with the vaccine cargo that went down in the Aldan River early this month, said Izabella Samoilova, deputy chief of the agency's regional branch, Interfax reported.

"There are two possibilities now: The cargo has drifted away or somebody has found it," Samoilova was quoted as saying. "The second option is more dangerous because opening the ampules by oneself … can lead to various ailments."

The agency has also warned residents of the Tommot village, near which the boat sank, to keep their children away from the Aldan River and drink only boiled water.

See also: Paper Mill That Polluted Baikal to Become Russian Disneyland

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more