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Dumped US Chemical Arms Found on Panamanian Island
Panama's government Thursday declared an island the zone of sanitary quarantine after proving the existence of chemical weapons abandoned by the US military during World War II.
The ministers of health and justice said unauthorized visitors are forbidden to go to the island of San Jose by sea or air and unscheduled overflights are banned.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons reported on May 3 that there are four live U.S. bombs filled with unspecified chemical agents on San Jose Island off Panama's Pacific coast.
The jungle-covered San Jose Island, lying some 90 kilometers southeast of the capital Panama City, was used by the U.S. military as an exercise court during World War II.
According to Health Minister Fernando Gracia, the four bombs could contain chemical substances that may cause severe skin and lung injuries, even death.
Panama on Thursday called on the United States to remove the bombs from the island, saying the discovery violated a 1993 treaty governing the development, production and storage of chemical weapons, ratified by both the U.S. and Panama.
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