NICARAGUA: Bad moonshine liquor kills fifteen in the city of Leon

A bad batch of moonshine liquor has killed at least 15 people in western Nicaragua this week and left seven others in critical condition, health officials said on Thursday (September 7, 2006). Eleven died between Wednesday (September 6) and Thursday (September 7) in the city of Leon, about 55 miles (90 km) northwest of Managua, and another four died on Tuesday night (September 5) in the Pacific coastal tourist town of Poneloya. "We have several dead here locally and elsewhere. We have a total of 21 patients suffering of alcohol poisoning, some of them in critical condition," said Doctor Ruben Herrera at Leon Hospital. More than 60 people have been treated for poisoning, with seven of them still in critical condition, officials said. The liquor had been mixed with methanol, an alcohol that can be used as a solvent or a fuel in some racing cars. When ingested, it can cause organ damage within hours and lead to blindness and death from respiratory failure. Leon's mayor temporarily banned the sale of all alcohol in the town. Police said they closed down several vendors of homemade liquor and confiscated 5,000 liters of homemade booze in an attempt to prevent further incidents.

ITN Source | September 8, 2006

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