8 Dead After Drinking Rice Wine at Kandal Funeral (UPDATED)

[CEOCambodiaNews]

Adulterated wine suspected in deaths of Cambodian villagers
2 hours ago

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Eight villagers in Cambodia have died after drinking homemade rice wine that probably was adulterated, officials said Tuesday.

The victims had been drinking at the funeral of one of their neighbors on May 10, said Kouy Bunthouen, health department chief of Kandal province near Phnom Penh.

He said the authorities have collected blood samples from the dead as well as the remaining rice wine for laboratory testing, and although they are still awaiting the results, they presume the wine contained methanol. The villagers did not die from COVID-19, he said.

Dangerous cheap alcoholic drinks are a perennial problem in Cambodia’s poor rural areas, and several accidental poisonings are reported each year.

Rice wine is typically made in small batches in homes in the countryside and is popular at events such as weddings, funerals and village festivals. Alcohol is sometimes added to boost the drink’s potency, but if it is not distilled properly it can contain methanol, which can cause blindness or death.

A police officer in Sarika Keo commune, where the deaths occurred, said the victims became sick and died starting on the day of the funeral through last Sunday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information to the media.
https://apnews.com/article/cambodia-lif ... 4be656a9c1

[CEOCambodiaNews]

UPDATE: 12 Dead from Funeral Rice Wine
May 20, 2021
Test results show 12 people die of methanol-laced wine in Kandal, says Health Ministry
Sen David / Khmer Times
Test results showed that 12 people in the two villages in Kandal province died of high methanol in rice wine they consumed, according to the Health Ministry.

According to the press statement issued today, results of the laboratory on May 19 showed that out of the 28 samples of wine collected, 20 contained methanol (Metfanp) more than 0.5 percent which caused poisoning.

It said that the non-toxic level should not exceed 0.1 percent.

11 people died from suspected rice wine poisoning after a funeral on May 10 in Ta Skor village, Sarikakeo commune, Lvea Em district, Kandal province, and another victim reportedly died later.

About 20 villagers reportedly bought rice wine from stalls and drank at the funeral of 51-year-old Mon Ngon, despite the authorities having already announced a ban on alcohol sales.

The Ministry of Health also urged people to immediately stop drinking tainted alcohol, especially methanol-laced wine.

It said if anyone continues to drink this kind of alcohol, it poses health problems such as illness and deaths.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50859852/t ... -ministry/

[CEOCambodiaNews]

Wouldn't beer be safer ?

Cambodia arrests 13 over tainted rice wine that killed 12
Friday, 21 May 2021
8:03 PM MYT

PHNOM PENH (Xinhua): Cambodia has arrested 13 people in southern Kandal province's Lvea Em district for allegedly producing and selling methanol-laced rice wine that had killed at least 12 people, a local police chief said on Friday (May 21).

"Two rice wine producers and 11 vendors have been arrested and sent to the Kandal provincial court for legal action over this fatal case," Colonel Lak Mengthy, chief of Kandal provincial police's minor crimes bureau, told Xinhua.

Twelve people in two villages of Sarika Keo commune had subsequently died between May 8 and 19 after consuming the tainted wine, the health ministry said in a statement on Thursday, adding that nine others remained hospitalized.

"The victims had the same symptoms such as headache, cough, stomachache, dizziness, eye irritation, convulsion and breathing difficulty," the ministry said.

The ministry added that the deceased victims had been tested negative for Covid-19, but laboratory tests of the wine they had consumed found that the wine contained high levels of methanol, which was far in excess of the safe limit of 0.1 per cent.

Meanwhile, the ministry also called on people not to drink wines that have no clear source or have been produced without a proper technique.
https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/as ... -killed-12

[CEOCambodiaNews]

More suspected "rice wine deaths" have occurred after a funeral in Kampot province on 21 May:



BREAKING: Suspected alcohol poisoning in Kampong Trach district, Kampot province, causing a total of 9 people died in a row, while more than 30 people were hospitalized (Video below)
2021-05-24 05:04 pm

Cambodia News, (Kampot): There has been another case of suspected alcohol poisoning in Thnong village, Russey commune, East district, Kampong Trach district, Kampot province, resulting in a total of 9 deaths from May 21 to May 24, 2021. The victims ate together at a funeral ceremony.

Mr. Aun Khon, Governor of Kampong Trach District, also said that the above cases involving male and female victims from the 21st to the 24th of May 2021, there were 9 victims, and currently, another 34 victims who drank alcohol and felt unwell, including 3 women, were sent to Kampong Trach District Referral Hospital for treatment.

The victims tested negative for Covid-19 coronavirus, so Dr. Nhea Bunthorn, Director of Kampot Provincial Health Department and his professional team is bringing their bodies to the district and provincial referral hospitals for autopsy examinations. What exactly caused these victims to die ?

According to the report of the Kampot Provincial Police, the case is being carefully investigated by the specialized forces, while the owners of the rice wine production are being questioned according to the procedure.

[techietraveller84]

With all the stories of late about people dying from poisonous wine and frogs and toads, seems there are a lot of dangerous foods and beverages in the KOW.

[Arget]

When people lose their sources of income for an extended period they make do with what they can afford. Sadly it has caused many more deaths.

[Bitte_Kein_Lexus]

I thought Covid was supposed to be the real killer in Cambodia?

[Biffsm]

My Khmer lady's mother died of the same thing in 1995 leaving 5 children...My lady was 10 and had to grow up fast, work and take care of her younger sister.
I have had some shots of this hooch out in Province and here in SR.
It is a cultural thing..
But, just like during prohibition in the US 100 years ago you had deaths and people go blind from not following the distillation procedure.
I think it takes two distillations to remove the deadly alcohol.
I will stick to Scotch Whisky...
It is a real shame this is happening year after year....now week after week.

[CEOCambodiaNews]

UPDATE on the deaths from suspected rice wine poisoning in Kampot province:

May 25, 2021
Couple arrested for the poisoning death of nine villagers

Kampot police have arrested a couple, rice wine producers after nine villagers reportedly died from suspected methanol-laced wine, with more than 30 people being hospitalised in Kampong Trach district.

Provincial police chief Major General Mao Chanthurith said the police arrested two people for questioning, while the wine sample was tested.

He said that the arrest was made because nine villagers died of suspected tainted rice wine they consumed at a funeral in Thnong village, Russei Khang Koeut commune, Kampong Trach district.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50861828/a ... villagers/

[nemo]

The first bit of the run is called foreshots, it comes off at a much lower temperature than ethanol and is mostly methanol.
It should be removed from the main run product.
Cereal or starchy worts make more methanol than sugar or fruit based spirits.