The trial of officials from a local company accused of dumping toxic waste in Ivory Coast was halted after defence lawyers walked out, news reports said Thursday.

Five defence lawyers refused to continue with the trial Wednesday in protest of the absence in court of a representative from the Dutch multinational Trafigura, the BBC said.

The 12 accused are mainly officials from the local company Tommy, which Trafigura contracted to deal with 500 tons of chemical waste from the oil industry.

However, the waste was simply dumped in the port town of Abidjan two years ago with the alleged complicity of port officials who also are facing trial.

Immediately after the waste was off-loaded at rubbish tips around Abidjan, the Ivory Coast's largest city, local residents began to suffer rashes and breathing problems.

Seventeen people died, and up to 100,000 others were poisoned.

Trafigura, which has never admitted any liability, paid the West African nation about 220 million dollars in an out-of-court settlement in February 2007.

The court would now attempt to woo the lawyers back although if that fails, the lawyers could be replaced, the BBC said.