Robbers Steal Bag of Ebola Blood in Taxi

Three robbers stopped a taxi in remote Guinea yesterday and relieved its nine passengers of their wallets, phones, and jewelry. They also grabbed a cooler bag from one of the passengers, and the contents could prove their undoing: vials of blood believed to be infected with Ebola, reports AP. A Red Cross courier had been transporting them to a facility for testing when the robbery occurred, and authorities don't think the robbers had a clue about their bounty.

"We have informed the security services," says the official in charge of coordinating Guinea's Ebola response. "If these thieves handle this blood, it will be dangerous." He also promised that protocols on how blood is shipped around the country will be improved. In the meantime, authorities have issued pleas over the radio for the blood to be returned. (More Ebola stories.)