ABIDJAN - Eighteen people have been charged with responsibilities for the August toxic waste dumping incident, during which 10 people were poisoned to death, said prosecutors of Cote d'Ivoire on Thursday.

The prosecutors of a court in Abidjan, the economic hub of Cote d'Ivoire, told reporters that the indicted would stand trial within two months, and if found guilty, all of them would face severe punishment.

In August, a vessel chartered by the Switzerland-based multinational company, Trafigura, dumped some 6,000 tons of toxic petroleum waste in more than a dozen open-air spaces in Abidjan, through Cote d'Ivoire's firm Tommy. The boss of Tommy is among the 18 indicted.

As a result of contamination caused by the toxic sludge, 10 people were killed, 59 others hospitalized and thousands went to hospitals for medical assistance.

The waste is now being shipped out of Cote d'Ivoire to be reprocessed in France, the former colonial ruler of the West African nation.