19 dead from suspected alcohol poisoning, death toll may climb
Another 14 people in critical condition, says health D-G
THE Health Ministry has revised the death toll to 19 from the earlier 15 people in Klang Valley from consuming alcohol containing methanol.
Another 14 victims were in critical condition, said Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
He said as at 5pm, the ministry received 51 notifications of alcohol poisoning, with 45 cases reported in Selangor and six in Kuala Lumpur.
Selangor police initially said 15 people died and 33 others had been hospitalised since Monday.
The victims were warded at the Sungai Buloh Hospital, Kajang Hospital, Selayang Hospital, Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang and Shah Alam Hospital.
Dr Noor Hisham said three of the victims were Malaysians, while 48 others comprised Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh and Indian nationals.
“The ministry expects the number of patients to increase as there is a rise in number of people seeking treatment for methanol poisoning.
“All the patients have a history of consuming alcohol liquid containing poisonous substance.”
Dr Noor Hisham said the patients had showed symptoms such as stomachache, nausea, vomiting, headache and blurry eyesight, with some experiencing difficulty in breathing, cramps and loss of consciousness.
He said patients would experience early signs of the symptoms within one or two days after consuming the alcoholic beverage.
“Samples of the alcoholic beverage taken during the investigation at the sale premises had been sent to the Sungai Buloh National Public Health Laboratory to be analysed.”
Dr Noor Hisham said investigations by the Health Department and district health offices showed that the patients had bought the liquor from premises in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
“The ministry lodged a police report to identify the distributor and manufacturer and to stop the sale of the products that had been contaminated.
“The ministry, through the Safety and Food Quality Division, is stepping up enforcement on the sale of alcoholic beverages that are in violation of the Food Act 1983 and Food Regulations 1985.”
He said under the act, individuals found to have prepared or sold food products that contained toxic ingredient, cause damage or affect health could face a fine of up to RM100,000 and a jail term of up to 10 years.
“The ministry will work with the police and agencies to monitor the situation. Updates on the case will be announced from time to time.”
Selangor police chief Datuk Mazlan Mansor said the first victim was a factory worker in Sungai Buloh.
“He died about 7pm yesterday (Monday). His employer lodged a police report.”
He said the victims were believed to have consumed two brands of brandy and a particular brand of beer.
Following a surge in reports on those admitted to hospitals in Selangor after consuming the alcohol, he said police initiated an investigation and yesterday (Tuesday) confiscated at least 20 boxes of alcohol from two grocery shops in Jalan Industri 6, Kampung Baru Sungai Buloh.
Mazlan said the cases had been classified as sudden death pending reports on the postmortems.
Checks by the New Straits Times Press at the scene found that raids were conducted about 1pm at two premises run by foreigners from Nepal and Myanmar.
Two Bangladeshis, believed to be workers of a neighbouring shop, were taken to a police station to have their statements recorded.
Earlier, the NSTP visited “Pasar Bangla” in Sungai Buloh and found two premises suspected of selling the alcoholic beverages. Both shops were closed yesterday.