MOSCOW, Russia – The death toll from drinking contaminated cider in the western Russian region of Ulyanovsk rose to 29, with a further 61 people falling ill, authorities said Tuesday.
The health ministry, quoted by news agencies, said the total number of intoxicated victims had reached 90 with 29 fatalities, up from the previous death toll of 16 with several dozen hurt.
The ministry said four people were “very seriously ill” with another 30 classed as serious in one of the worst such cases the country has known.
Victims were hospitalized in clinics across the region after governor Alexei Russkikh said Monday on Telegram that they fell sick after drinking “Mister Cider” produced in the Samara region.
Russkikh added that “law enforcement officers are seizing these products in our region” while Russian authorities opened an investigation.
Russian media reported 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. — Agence France-Presse
