In Fère-Champenoise, a small town in the Marne, an unknown illness has been causing symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, and itching in both students and adults since May 30. Recently, nine children aged 5 to 6 and three adults fell ill after returning from a playground outing. Seven of the affected children were transported to the Châlons-en-Champagne hospital but were able to return home later.
The symptoms experienced by the children and adults include headaches, abdominal pain, throat irritation, and itching. These symptoms are identical to those experienced by around thirty children and adults between the end of May and the beginning of June. Investigations have ruled out food poisoning, water contamination, and carbon monoxide poisoning as possible causes.
Health authorities have activated air quality measurements using sensors since June 7 to identify the cause of these illnesses. The results of these measurements are expected to be known within a few weeks. Meanwhile, the reopening of the canteen and nursery and elementary schools remains on hold, with temporary solutions in place to avoid educational disruption.
In Corrientes, Argentina, the Justice of Corrientes has admitted the possibility that Loan Peña, a 5-year-old boy who has been missing since June 13, may have been kidnapped. The Office of the Prosecutor for Human Trafficking and Exploitation has intervened in the investigation. The boy went missing while on an outing with five other children and three adults.
Prosecutors have arranged for a series of tests, including sweeping cell phone antennas in the area and conducting Luminol tests on seized vehicles. The reconstruction of Loan's route revealed that he took a different path than the one leading to his grandmother's house. The three adults who were last with Loan are currently in pretrial detention and are being held responsible for his disappearance.
Hundreds of police, gendarmes, soldiers, and volunteers have been searching the El Algarrobal area for Loan. So far, only one of his sneakers has been found. The search efforts continue as authorities work to determine whether Loan was lost or kidnapped.
- The prefecture of Marne has assured that the air inside primary and nursery schools complies with current standards. The investigations and analyses by state services are ongoing to determine the cause of the illnesses in Fère-Champenoise.
- In the case of Loan Peña, the prosecutors believe that the responsibility for caring for the minor fell on Bernardino Antonio Benítez, a rural worker in the area. He, along with Daniel 'Fierrito' Ramírez and Mónica Millapi, are accused of abandonment of a person. The results of the Luminol tests and cell phone sweeps are expected to provide more insights into Loan's disappearance.
