Nineteen men are dead, with another 14 in critical condition, after falling ill with suspected alcohol poisoning.
Health Ministry officials confirmed that a total of 51 men became unwell after consuming three different alcohol brands, labeled as Mandalay Whiskey, Kingfisher Beer, and Grand Royal Whiskey. All were purchased from different shops in and around the wider metropolitan Kuala Lumpur area on Monday’s public holiday.
The Star reports that all victims had a history of consuming compounded hard liquor, a cheap mix of two or more spirits, that may also contain ethanol or distillates of agricultural origin.
Unscrupulous, cost-cutting, profit hungry manufacturers have been known to cut beverages with cheaper, chemically produced alcohols.
Health Ministry director-general Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah has said that the victims showed signs of methanol poisoning, where even a drinking a small amount could lead to death.
Other symptoms of methanol poisoning include stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, headaches and blurred vision, sometimes leading to shortness of breath, cramps and sudden unconsciousness.
Min Laung, a Burmese national, and one of the men who was poisoned, had his company supervisor rush him to hospital after he fell ill. Speaking to national news agency Bernama, S. Rajalingam said that it was not unusual for his 15-year employee Min Laung to go for a weekend drink with friends. However, on Monday he and three others only drank 500ml of alcohol before falling dangerously ill. Bringing a sample of the alcohol to the hospital for authorities to check, he added that he will be filing a police report over the incident.
Min Laung currently lies in critical condition in hospital.
Forty-eight of the victims are foreign nationals from Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh and India, and three of the men are from Malaysia. Officials expect the number of cases to grow, as many are unaware of the dangers. Two shops have since been raided in the Kampung Baru Sungai Buloh area of Kuala Lumpur, and cases of suspected hazardous alcohol have been seized by police.
Last year, authorities moved to raise the price of compounded hard liquors sold in coffee shops, and convenient stores, from RM5 (US$1.25) for a 700ml bottle, to RM50 (US$17). Officials hope that it would curb consumption of the cheap liquor that was taking an especially hard toll on Malaysia’s poor.
Worried you might be buying fake alcohol? Well, a few tips for you. First, buy from a trusted shop – that tiny corner shop purporting to sell single-malt whisky next to dodgy Ray-Bans is probably not worth the risk. Same goes for inexplicably cheap alcohol: No self-respecting Johnnie Walker Blue retails for US$10. Have you had the alcohol before? Make sure it looks and smells consistent with what you’ve had previously. If it doesn’t, discard. Make sure the packaging is in order – correct spelling, unwrinkled labels (a sign of re-bottling), protective seals, bar codes etc.
Stay safe out there, and we hope that each victim is able to recover soon.
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