French authorities are investigating a potentially dangerous letter addressed to Gérald Darmanin, the Minister of the Interior.
The letter was discovered at a postal sorting center near Dijon. Suspicious of the unmarked envelope, workers contacted local police.
Inside, they found an unidentifiable black powder and a letter containing racist insults, as reported by the French news outlet Le Figaro.
Preliminary tests by the police's Chemical, Biological, Nuclear, Radiological, and Explosives Unit indicated a slight positive result for the plague.
Further analysis is underway to confirm or refute these findings, as initial results may be inaccurate.
Conclusive test results are expected by the end of Monday.
Historical Context of the Plague
Most people know the plague as the Black Death, a disease that claimed millions of lives in Europe during the Middle Ages. However, it still poses a threat today.
Today, the plague is primarily transmitted to humans through rodent or flea bites or contact with infected animals. Without early and proper treatment, pneumonic plague can lead to death within three days.
Investigation Underway
The author of the suspicious letter has not yet been identified.
The discovery of the letter comes at a time when France is hosting the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
This incident follows a large-scale disruption on the railway network on the morning of July 26, the first day of the Olympics. The rail operator SNCF reported deliberate damage to three lines overnight.
Gabriel Attal, the head of the French government, described the event as targeted sabotage. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin suggested that foreign countries might be involved in the incident.
