Reports have emerged that two men have died from suspected methanol poisoning after drinking alcohol in Ipoh, three hours outside of Kuala Lumpur.
Both victims were foreign workers, one from Bangladesh, and another from Myanmar. The Bangladeshi victim was admitted to hospital in a semi-conscious state on April 28, telling medical staff that he was suffering from blurred vision, nausea, vomiting and stomach pains following their consumption of the noxious beverages.
Fighting for his life for two days, he unfortunately succumbed to the poisoning in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Doctors report that while they suspect the cause, and confirm that symptoms are in line with, methanol poisoning, no conclusive lab samples have been received as of yet.
Investigations are now on-going to trace the fatal final steps of the duo, and exactly what drinks were consumed in the lead-up to their unfortunate deaths. Authorities are keeping a watchful eye on suspicious alcoholic drinks on the market.
Little is known of the two victims, although there is nothing to suggest that the two knew each other previously.
Than Hta Young, the 40-year-old Burmese victim, is believed to have purchased alcohol near Batu Gajah at 10am yesterday, on the morning of the Labor Day public holiday. Police in the area reported his death to hospital authorities, having found the construction worker already deceased, with evidence pointing to tainted alcohol being the culprit.
The other victim, a 32-year-old Bangladeshi known only as Roy, had reported to his friend on April 28 that he was feeling ill, asking if he could borrow money to go to a nearby medical clinic. Agreeing to come to the clinic to settle the bill, the friend was advised by the doctor on duty to take Roy to a hospital for further treatment.
Taking Roy to the hospital in a taxi, his friend reported that he complained of feeling nauseous and dizzy on the ride there.
Last year, a total of 37 individuals across Malaysia died after drinking tainted alcohol, with dozens more being hospitalized in serious condition to receive treatment. Many of the dead were foreign workers, hailing from Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and India.
At the time, individuals reported that not only had backyard distilleries opened up of late, producing illicit alcohol, but that bottles of Kingfisher beer had been illegally relabeled, with importers confirming they had stopped importing the lager into Malaysia four years ago.
Public health authorities have issued a warning against the consumption of fake alcohol, reiterating that symptoms include stomach ache, breathing difficulties, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, severe headache, and leg cramps. If anyone finds themselves suffering from these ailments following drinking alcohol, please seek medical treatment immediately.
