TORONTO, July 26 (UPI) -- The Office of the Chief Coroner in Ontario said Wednesday that a panel of experts has confirmed six deaths were caused by E. coli bacteria in the Walkerton outbreak in May. Medical officials at the time said seven deaths were "confirmed" to have been caused by E. coli, which had entered Walkerton's water supply. Wednesday, the coroner's office said there was "insufficient evidence" to confirm bacterial links to the seventh.

The coroner's report was released more than two months after an E. coli outbreak affected some 2,000 people in Walkerton and came after a panel of experts examined 21 deaths that occurred about the time of the outbreak. The panel found that 14 of the deaths they examined "were not linked at all to the E. coli outbreak in Walkerton."

Of the six confirmed deaths, E. coli was found to be "a contributing factor" in two of the deaths, the coroner's office said. Dr. Jim Cairns, Ontario's deputy chief coroner, said most of the deaths were reported after the E. coli outbreak became public. The families reported them though some had occurred as much as two weeks before the outbreak.

The panel of experts examined the medical histories of all of the suspected victims and talked to members of most of the families. They were able to confirm that only six deaths were linked to the outbreak. Cairns said that some of the victims who were hospitalized after the outbreak were still under dialysis treatment, and the condition of at least one was serious.

If another death should occur, he said, the panel would meet again to examine the cause and revise its report, he said. The Walkerton disaster occurred when contaminated water from one of the town's wells was pumped into the community's water supply for three days, after the chlorination system broke down.

A police inquiry into the incident is continuing, but so far no criminal charges have been filed.

Meanwhile, municipal officials have been examining the water faucets in every house in Walkerton to ensure they were not still contaminated. The water supply, which was turned off in May, has still not been restored. Officials said some 2.2 miles (3.5 km) of main pipes were found to be encrusted with E. coli bacteria and would have to be replaced. Another 3.4 miles (5.5 km) of smaller pipes are also likely to be replaced, as the diameters were too narrow to allow proper examination. More than two months after the outbreak, the town's residents still need to fetch clean water in plastic containers for their daily needs.