More than 170 people affected by an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in November in the Vila Franca de Xira area of Portugal, 20 kilometers east of Lisbon, have sought legal advice about suing the company responsible for the outbreak, Mayor of Vila Franca Alberto Mesquita said Tuesday.

Mesquita gave the figure at a ceremony to sign a protocol with the local Lawyers'Association, which will provide free legal advice to victims of the outbreak of the legionella bacterium affecting three local parishes, and provide a bank of lawyers to deal with any court cases that may ensue.

"Since the beginning people have come to the City Council to request legal assistance. We went as far as we could, but our jurisdiction in the matters is very limited," Mesquita said, noting that the partnership with the Lawyers' Association would solve this problem.

The first 13 cases of infection of Legionnaire's disease, a severe form of pneumonia caused by victims inhaling water droplets containing the bacterium, were reported on November 7, 2014. In all a reported 370 people were infected and 12 died, making it the third-largest ever outbreak of Legionnaire's disease worldwide.

The cooling towers of fertilizer company Adubos de Portugal (AdP) were the source of the legionella bacterium behind the outbreak. An investigation to identify the people responsible is still underway.