A group of taxi robbers who probably thought they were making off with money or something else of value will get something for their efforts. But unfortunately for them, that something might just turn out to be a shiny new case of Ebola.
Bandits in Guinea got more than they bargained for when they stopped a taxi van and made off with blood samples which are believed to be infected with the deadly Ebola virus.
Authorities made a radio appeal on Friday, calling on the unidentified robbers to hand over the samples, which were stolen from the minibus taxi during its 265km (165-mile) journey from central Kankan prefecture to a test site in southern Gueckedou.
The samples were drawn from a single person and were stored in a sealed container, and handed off to the taxi driver when armed bandits stopped the vehicle the aid group had commissioned near the town of Kissidougou, said Faya Etienne Tolno, a press officer for the Guinea Red Cross.
Tolno explained that the Guinea Red Cross did not have its own vehicles for transport, which explains why a taxi was commissioned. No one was injured in the incident, which took place on a road known for banditry.
No one was injured in the incident…yet.
Now seems like it might be a good time to dedicate a little tune to these guys.