Alcohol poisoning death toll rises to 53

intern

December 20, 2016 1:14 PM

The victims consumed a bath lotion which local officials later found contained deadly levels of methanol and antifreeze.

Homemade spirits and household products containing alcohol are popular throughout the former Soviet Union as a cheap alternative to standard brands but are also blamed for a large number of alcohol-related deaths

The death toll from alcohol poisoning in the east Siberian city of Irkutsk has risen to 53, and 26 people are still hospitalised, the media report said on Tuesday.

Police have found an underground facility that made the counterfeit lotion, and seized 500 liters of the substance at about 100 shops in Irkutsk.

President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov described the mass poisoning as a terrible tragedy, adding that the president was being briefed about the situation.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told a Cabinet meeting that authorities need to deal with illegal turnover of such substances with alcohol content and quickly ban it.

Russian media reported that 21 people had died of alcohol poisoning in Irkutsk.

All of them got poisoned after consuming the bath lotion marked with the warning that it is not for drinking.

Report says poisonings caused by surrogate alcohol are often seen in Russia, but the case in Irkutsk is the deadliest in years.

intern