International
20 dead in Argentina after taking toxic-laced cocaine
AFP
At least 20 people died and 74 more were hospitalized in a Buenos Aires suburb after consuming cocaine cut with a toxic substance, possibly opioids, Argentine authorities said Wednesday.
Officials said they were working quickly to determine what the cocaine was mixed with, but warned those who bought the drug over the last 24 hours to dispose of it.
Sergio Berni, the security chief for Buenos Aires province, told the television channel Telefe that authorities were trying to locate the toxic substance “to remove it from circulation.”
“There is a key ingredient that is attacking the central nervous system,” Berni said.
About 10 people were arrested after police raided a house in the poor Tres de Febrero neighborhood where they believe the cocaine was sold.
Packets of cocaine similar to those described by the victims’ families were seized. The drugs were taken to a laboratory in La Plata, the capital of Buenos Aires province, for analysis.
Authorities issued an urgent warning early Wednesday after three separate hospitals reported several deaths and serious cases of poisoning.
Several of those being treated told doctors they had taken cocaine together.
Beatriz Mercado told AFP she had found her 31-year-old son, one of the victims, lying face-down on the kitchen floor.
“He was almost not breathing, his eyes were rolling back,” she said. She took him to the hospital, where he was on life support as of Wednesday evening.
“I hope in God, nothing else. A miracle.”
An initial toll of 12 deaths and 50 hospitalizations kept rising — with victims admitted to eight different hospitals, a Buenos Aires province government spokesperson told AFP.
Earlier reports said the victims suffered convulsions and sudden heart attacks.
Health authorities said at least four of the victims were men aged between 32 and 45.
– Cut with harmful substance –
Berni’s office said late in the day that emergency services were reporting new patients in “critical condition” being brought to hospitals.
He said: “Every dealer that buys cocaine cuts it. Some do it with non-toxic substances such as starch. Others put hallucinogens in it, and if there is no form of control, this kind of thing happens.”
Berni would not be drawn on whether the cocaine had been poisoned as part of a war between drug traffickers.
The San Martin public prosecutor, Marcelo Lapargo, told Radio Mitre that authorities’ main concern “is to be able to communicate, so that those who are in possession of this poison know that they should not consume it.”
Investigators fear the toll could rise, with some people who bought the cocaine unable to reach a care center in time.
Lapargo said that this case was “absolutely exceptional.” He added that the idea of a battle between drug traffickers was “conjecture” at this point.
Police clashed briefly in a part of Tres de Febrero with residents who were protesting the arrest of local young people in the drug raid.
International
Regional mexican music mourns the death of Banda Gota de Oro singer Giovanni Vera
Regional Mexican music is mourning the death of Giovanni Vera, lead vocalist of the band Banda Gota de Oro, who was among the victims of an armed attack that occurred on Sunday, December 28, in the Mexican state of Guanajuato.
The incident took place inside a residence located in the Los Presidentes neighborhood, in the municipality of Irapuato.
According to preliminary reports, several people were gathered at the house when armed men burst in and opened fire on those present. The attack left five people dead, including the singer.
Hours after the shooting, Banda Gota de Oro confirmed Vera’s death through its official Instagram account. In one of the posts, the group expressed its grief with an emotional message: “Today, the sky is dressed for a celebration because you are singing up there. Your voice and your joy will live on forever within us.”
Messages of support and condolences from fans and fellow musicians quickly flooded social media, paying tribute to the artist and expressing solidarity with his family and bandmates.
International
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One person was killed and three others were injured in a shooting reported early Tuesday in the Big Island Lake Cree Nation, in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, according to local media.
Police said they were alerted to the incident in a remote area located approximately 392 kilometers northwest of the city of Saskatoon. Authorities issued a dangerous persons alert for two suspects, who were described as armed.
Saskatchewan police urged residents to seek shelter immediately, lock their doors, and avoid the area while the situation remains under investigation. Officers are working to determine whether the shooting was a targeted attack or a random act of violence.
As a precautionary measure, seven health-care facilities in the surrounding area were placed under lockdown, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said in a post on X.
International
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The train, carrying 241 passengers and nine crew members, derailed on Sunday while traveling along the Interoceanic Corridor, a major infrastructure project that connects the Pacific coast with the Gulf of Mexico across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The corridor was one of the flagship initiatives of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration (2018–2024).
Sheinbaum visited three hospitals in the neighboring towns of Tehuantepec and Salina Cruz, where around 20 injured passengers remain hospitalized. She also went to a funeral home to accompany the families of those who lost their lives in the accident.
According to Mexico’s Navy Secretary, Raymundo Morales, the accident occurred when one of the locomotives derailed, causing all four railcars to leave the tracks.
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