JEDDAH: A local pest extermination business is being investigated for its possible involvement in the death of two Danish children on Monday at the city’s Basateen compound.
The pesticide used “is not suitable for use inside residential units,” said a Civil Defense source who did not want to be named
The Civil Defense is responsible for responding to emergencies and checking for hazardous materials, but is not responsible for investigating any alleged wrongdoing.
A memo that had been sent by the compound’s management to its residents identified the pest exterminator as Super Kill. Arab News obtained a copy of the memo yesterday.
“The compound contracted Super Kill to fumigate this villa,” the memo stated.
The memo added that Super Kill is a specialized Jeddah-based pest control company that has been operating in the compound for the last eight years.
The company’s website indicated it has branches in Jeddah and four other cities. Calls to the company were not answered yesterday.
On Monday, a source close to the family had said that a fumigant pesticide had been used in an adjoining housing unit — the kind that is left in plates and dissolves into a gas when exposed to air.
“Plates of white powder were scattered in various parts of the house,” said the Civil Defense source.
According to the memo from Basateen, Super Kill inspected the housing unit and said the “villa” had to be quarantined and sealed off for 72 hours.
“The fumigation process commenced last Saturday at 10:00 a.m., and there were no unusual circumstances or activity to warrant any concern,” said the memo.
But at some point after the application of the pesticide, a Danish family in the adjoining unit returned from a short vacation.
The time of the family’s return is unclear, but by Monday morning a man identified as Hendrik Skad rushed his wife Dorthe and two children, Mikkeline, 6, and Frederick, 3, to a nearby hospital. All family members were experiencing symptoms of poisoning.
Police informed Basateen officials that the family had been admitted to the hospital at around 9:30 a.m. Monday morning. The two children later died from the poisoning. The conditions of the parents have reportedly improved.
The internal memo went on to advise residents to seek immediate medical advice if there is any one from their household displaying any symptoms or signs that are out of the ordinary.
The memo added that authorities initially suspected a case of food poisoning. But investigations at the site and the surrounding area directed suspicion toward a case of chemical poisoning, possibly related to the fumigation of villa E72. The family lived in the adjoining unit that was part of the same building.
The management said that a team of officials from the Ministry of Health, Civil Defense and local police are participating in the investigation. The management is awaiting a written report from the authorities, the memo said.
