Hundreds of people in the city of Raqqa were hospitalized on Sunday after drinking contaminated water, local activists said. The militia of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which oversaw the pumping of the tap water into several districts of the city, tried to cover up the incident by claiming that the poisoning occurred due to the consumption of contaminated foodstuff.
Activists pointed out that the medical staff who examined the patients were forced to support the PYD narrative. However, some doctors and nurses at the Mushallab Medical Center denied these claims and spoke the truth. The PYD militia responded by dismissing the doctors from work, according to activists in Raqqa.
The majority of the poisoning cases took place in the neighborhoods of Thakana, Mushallab, and Rumayla, with patents complaining of stomachache, dysentery, nausea, and pallor, local activists added.
Activists stressed that the PYD militias do not meet the health standards thus putting the lives of civilians at risk, adding that the Sunday incident was not the first of its kind.
In addition to the lawlessness prevailing in Raqqa, people of the province have been complaining of repressive acts by the PYD militia. These actions sparked frequent demonstrations against the PYD militia and prompted many humanitarian organizations to scale down their activities in the PYD-controlled areas. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
