The International Committee of the Red Cross is "very concerned about the situation in the laboratory of the national biomedical research institute, which is facing a risk of power cuts", ICRC regional director for Africa Patrick Youssef said.
The Red Cross voiced alarm Tuesday over the risk that fighting in the besieged DR Congo city of Goma could cause samples of Ebola and other pathogens held in a laboratory to escape.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is "very concerned about the situation in the laboratory of the national biomedical research institute, which is facing a risk of power cuts", ICRC regional director for Africa Patrick Youssef said.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, he stressed the importance of "preserving the samples that may be affected by the clashes", warning of "unimaginable consequences if the (samples), including the Ebola virus, that it contains were to spread."
Youssef highlighted that the laboratory was "very close" to the ICRC delegation in Goma but he had no information about the safety of other labs in the city.