The death toll rose to 17 following the illegal sale of adulterated alcohol in Russia. A total of 33 victims are known to have been affected by alcohol poisoning, as the authorities in the Orenburg region announced on Friday. The men and women come from several villages around 1,200 kilometers southeast of Moscow. Other sufferers with symptoms of poisoning would come to the doctors in the region.
The governor responsible, Denis Pasler, appealed urgently to the population: “Refrain from buying alcohol.” According to his information, there were extensive controls of sales outlets in the area in order to remove the adulterated alcohol from circulation. “Until the results are completed, alcohol consumption can be life-threatening,” warned the governor. According to the authorities, more than 1,000 bottles were initially confiscated.
Pictures were published in the local media, according to which the adulterated alcohol could hardly be distinguished from the goods tested. Therefore, one should completely refrain from buying alcohol. The investigation of the liquids was still ongoing. Investigators have arrested three suspects so far. Among them is a 29-year-old who is said to have organized the “illegal production”. This apparently took place in the city of Orsk. The police have determined the building in question. The other arrested persons are said to have sold the deadly alcohol.
According to the authorities, pure methanol was found in the bodies of the dead – “a deadly poison,” as it was called. “In some cases it has been found that the concentration of the substance is three to five times higher than a lethal dose.” The authorities called on people after consuming adulterated alcohol to see a doctor as soon as possible. Because it often only took an hour from a deterioration in health to death, it was said.