Briefly

NIGERIA

Toll from Lassa fever outbreak rises to 123

The death toll from Lassa fever in Nigeria this year has risen to 123 amid ongoing measures by the government to reduce infections across the country, said the Nigeria Center for Disease Control on Sunday. A total of 659 confirmed cases of Lassa fever have been reported across the West African country since January, the NCDC said in a statement. With the total number of deaths recorded so far, the fatality rate for the outbreak stands at 18.7 percent. The predominant age group affected by the disease ranged between 21 and 30 years. The NCDC noted that the animal vector for the Lassa virus, the multimammate rat, is found throughout the West African region, thereby calling on neighboring countries to stay alert to the spread of Lassa fever.

MEXICO

19 killed in shooting at festive gathering

Nineteen people were shot and killed in central Mexico on Sunday, the State Attorney General's Office said in a statement. Authorities were called to the scene at around 10:30 pm following reports of an attack on a festive gathering in the town of Las Tinajas, Michoacan state. "19 lifeless bodies were found (16 men and three women), who had gunshot wounds," the FGE said. Several others were injured and had been sent to hospital, it added. Federal authorities were working "with the aim of capturing those responsible for the violent acts," the office of Michoacan's secretary of public security said on Twitter. The reason for the shooting was under investigation.

MEDITERRANEAN

2 migrants drown off Morocco coast

Two migrants drowned after their boat capsized and more than 200 others have been detained as they prepared to leave Morocco by sea, reported state news agency MAP on Sunday. The bodies of the two migrants washed up "after a boat capsized", reported MAP without giving further details. Separately, Moroccan authorities arrested 236 migrants during operations on Friday and Saturday in the southern province of Tarfaya and the city of Laayoune. The migrants were reportedly seeking to cross to Spain's Canary Islands.

Agencies - Xinhua