Methanol-laced brew kills 40 in Uganda

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2007

KAMPALA (AFP) — At least 40 people have died in the past two weeks after drinking moonshine laced with methanol in Uganda, a police spokesman said Thursday.

Tests are underway to determine the poison that killed at least 15 people on Wednesday alone, Edward Ochom told AFP.

Press reports indicated that most had died after drinking a brew called "waragi" in the suburbs of Kampala. Others died after drinking the same brew in an eastern district of the country, reports said.

The drink costs around 100 Ugandan shillings (six US cents).

"Our diagnosis is that all these people took waragi, which had a lot of methanol. When you take alcohol with a lot of methanol, you can lose your sight, your liver will be affected and you can die," health ministry official...