By Peter Murphy ABIDJAN, June 22 (Reuters) - Ivory Coast will distribute millions of dollars in compensation next week to thousands of people exposed to toxic waste dumped in its economic capital Abidjan last year, the presidency said on Friday. Dutch-based oil trader Trafigura agreed to pay a $198 million settlement to the government earlier this year after chartering the ship that delivered the waste to the West African state last August. But it denies responsibility for the dumping. Families of the 16 people who died after inhaling fumes from the waste will each receive 100 million CFA ($200,000) while up to 101,000 people who received medical care for vomiting, diarrhoea and breathing difficulties will each receive $408. "The President of the Republic reiterates all his compassion to the victims and renews his condolences to the mourning families. He assures them he will personally oversee the compensation process," a statement from the presidency said. The waste, chemical slops unloaded from the Probo Koala tanker registered in Panama, was dumped at open-air sites around Abidjan, filling the atmosphere with pungent fumes that caused panic around the densely populated city. Trafigura has denied any wrongdoing, saying it entrusted the waste, which it described as residues from gasoline mixed with caustic washings, to a registered Ivorian company. The lion's share of the settlement sum, 68.7 billion CFA ($140.3 million), will reimburse the government for the cost of cleaning up the pollution and will pay to upgrade Abidjan's hospitals and build a domestic refuse processing centre. The statement said payouts for the families of the deceased and the 75 people who had been hospitalised would begin on June 27 at the offices of the Treasury. Others would be able to claim their dues from the following day onwards. A British court agreed earlier this year to hear a class action case which law firm Leigh Day & Co brought against Trafigura. In a statement on Friday lawyer Martyn Day said he would pursue the private claims for compensation. Ivory Coast said this week it was seeking an extra initial $82 million and a maximum of $461 million from Trafigura to cover additional environmental and medical costs stemming from the waste dumping case. But Trafigura is disputing this figure.
