E. Coli Taints Water, Prompting Airlift

Ontario will airlift about 1,000 residents out of a remote northern community because of contaminated water on the Cree reserve, a spokeswoman for the provincial government said.

In declaring a medical emergency, the central Canadian province said it would evacuate about half the 2,000 residents of Kashechewan, about 600 miles north of Toronto. It is accessible only by air.

The water has been contaminated by E. coli bacteria and residents are suffering from nausea, diarrhea, parasites and blistered skin. Some conditions are due to high levels of chlorine used to treat the water.