Contaminated cider in Russia kills 29 people, sickens 61
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Russian investigators checking the factory which produced the contaminated cider.
PHOTOS: REUTERS
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MOSCOW – The death toll from drinking contaminated cider in the western Russian region of Ulyanovsk rose to 29, with a further 61 people falling ill, the authorities said on Tuesday.
The Russian Health Ministry, quoted by news agencies, said the total number of intoxicated victims had reached 90, including 29 fatalities, up from the previous death toll of 16 with several dozen hurt.
The ministry said four people were “very seriously ill”, and another 30 were classed as seriously ill, in one of the worst such cases the country has known.
Victims were hospitalised in clinics across the region after Governor Alexei Russkikh said on Monday on Telegram that they fell sick after drinking the product labelled “Mister Cider”, which is produced in the Samara region.
Mr Russkikh added that “law enforcement officers are seizing these products in our region” while the Russian authorities opened an investigation.
The Russian media reported on Monday that the alcohol contained methanol, which is highly toxic.
Such cases are not uncommon in Russia, where cheap alcohol substitutes are a persistent problem, particularly in rural areas with very low standards of living.
In 2021, at least 34 people died from drinking bootleg liquor containing methanol, in two separate incidents.
In 2016, more than 60 people died in the Siberian city of Irkutsk after drinking bath essence containing methanol, a toxic substance used in anti-freeze. AFP
