Death toll from toxic rice wine in Cambodia rises to 15

Fifteen villagers have died in northern Cambodia since last week after they drank rice wine brewed with "high levels of methanol", officials said Friday.

"Two more victims died this (Friday) morning, bringing the number of the dead persons to 15," Liv Bunsong, deputy police chief of Kampong Chhnang province's Teuk Phos district, where the incident happened, told Xinhua.

Besides the fatalities, some 78 others have been hospitalized, and some of them are still in severe condition, he said.

According to Bunsong, the victims had the same symptoms: dizziness, eye irritation, nausea, diarrhea, and breathing difficulty.

Authorities began to put suspicion on toxic rice wine after several mourners died and hospitalized following drinking rice wine at a funeral earlier this week, he said.

Bunsong said that a 49-year-old man making rice wine in the district was detained on Thursday for questioning, as a sample of the tainted wine was sent to the provincial food safety bureau for an examination.

Health Minister Mam Bunheng said in a statement on Friday that the victims had consumed rice wine that was made with "high levels of methanol" and called on people to stop drinking rice wine brewed without a proper technique.

Checks on food are rare in the Southeast Asian nation, where safety regulations are lax.

In December last year, toxic rice wine claimed 19 lives and sickened 172 others in eastern Kratie province. At that time, laboratory tests found that the contaminated wine contained methanol levels between 10.57 percent and 12 percent, which were much higher than the safe level of 0.15 percent.

Rice wine is popular in rural Cambodia due to its cheap price. Enditem