Off the wire
Azerbaijani president stresses importance of relations with China  • Norway to assess new weapon law after massive gun confiscation  • UN rights body appoints first ever LGBT expert  • 0.89 mln refugees comes to Germany in 2015: German Interior Minister  • Helsinki's former anti-drug chief sentenced to 3 years in jail for corruption  • U.S. oil keeps rising after OPEC deal  • U.S. dollar slips against most major currencies  • Tirana, Skopje ink twinning agreement to enhance cooperation  • Cypriot leaders to resume intensive negotiations: reports  • WHO calls for immediate safe evacuation of the sick, wounded in Syria  
You are here:   Home

Death toll from alcohol poisoning in Ukraine reaches 38

Xinhua, October 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

The number of deaths caused by a batch of spurious alcohol circulating across Ukraine rose to 38, the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection said Friday.

According to the statement on the website of the agency, 39 other people are still being treated in hospitals and many of them are in critical condition.

"Several people, who survived the poisoning, became blind. I do not rule out that the number of victims may increase further," said Vladimir Lapa, the head of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection.

Poisoning cases began appearing in Ukraine last week, when dozens of people appealed for medical assistance in the eastern Kharkov region due to symptoms of intoxication after drinking alcohol.

This week, the new cases of poisoning were registered among the residents of four other regions and eastern, southern and northern Ukraine.

Four people have been so far arrested in Kharkov region for allegedly producing and distributing the batch of spurious liquor. The local police confiscated from them about 4 tons of methyl alcohol and technical equipment for producing the toxic drinks.

Methyl alcohol is an undrinkable type of liquor, which is used for industrial and technical purposes. Endit