49 dead in Siberia after drinking toxic bath essence

MOSCOW: A Russian city declared a state of emergency Monday after 49 people seeking cheap alcohol died after drinking bath essence containing methanol, a toxic substance used in antifreeze.

The country’s Investigative Committee, a powerful panel of inquiry, has launched a probe into the deaths in the Siberian city of Irkutsk caused by drinking the liquid, labelled as hawthornscented bath essence, and has detained several people.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the deaths a “tragedy” that required “very close attention.”

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ordered his cabinet to “sort out” the problem of selling such alcoholic products not intended for drinking — often labelled as cosmetics — to impoverished alcoholics.

Medvedev called their widespread sale through vending machines, which takes place in cities including Moscow, “an absolute disgrace.”

Dozens of people were taken to hospital in the Siberian city of Irkutsk about 4,200 km from Moscow after consuming the toxic substance, investigators said.

An employee of the local prosecutor’s office Alexander Semyonov told Russian agencies that 57 people were known to have consumed the liquid, 49 of whom have died, while the others were in a serious condition.

The official death toll grew by 20 people over the course of a few hours on Monday.

Authorities were still searching places where the essence could have been ingested.

The product was sold for 40 rubles (65 US cents) for a 25 ml (0.8 fluid ounces) bottle.

The victims were between 35 and 50 years old, authorities said.

Irkutsk mayor Dmitry Berdnikov imposed a state of emergency in the city, pledging to “uncover and punish the perpetrators” and inform the public to prevent any further poisoning, the City Hall said on its website.