MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Dozens of people died and many more fell sick in Pakistan over Christmas after consuming poorly distilled home-brewed liquor containing toxic methanol, police told local media on Tuesday.
Twenty-four people, most of them Christians, were found dead in their beds in the city of Toba Tek Singh after drinking homemade spirits together, police officer Mohammad Nadeem told BBC Urdu.
26 December 2016, 15:09 GMT
Further 40 people were taken to hospitals with methanol poisoning. The broadcaster said the alcohol had been bought by two Muslims from local sellers who ran out of stock and got it elsewhere.
Drinking alcohol is prohibited in Pakistan, although minorities can obtain special licenses. But many opt for cheaper home brews. This has led to several mass poisonings in the past years.
