Alcohol contaminated with potentially toxic levels of methanol has killed at least four people in Kanombe, a suburb of the Rwandan capital Kigali, a senior local administrative authority confirmed Thursday.
By Clementine Uwimana
The executive secretary of Kanombe Sector in Kicukiro district, Nathan Kanyesigye said the victms died shortly after consuming the adulterated alcohol
He said that it was not yet known how much alcohol had been adulterated, but have confiscated several bottles from different brands.
In many rural settlements and urban suburbs across Rwanda, poisoning by spurious homemade alcohol is quite common as it is much cheaper than branded alcohol.
In August last year, four people were hospitalized in critical condition in Gasabo, a district of Kigali city, after drinking adulterated homemade brew known locally as “Ubushera” (Sorghum beer).
In 2018, another 260 people in Gicumbi District, Northern Rwanda were affected by homemade sorghum beer, a typical Rwandan beverage that is easy to make.
Rwandan officials have always warned people not to consume “suspicious” beverages.
The World Health Organization said that a trace of methanol is common in fermented local brews.
However, if ingested in large quantities, methanol can cause blindness, liver damage or even death.
Symptoms of methanol poisoning may not appear immediately, which include acute abdominal pain, serious headache and lack of coordination of body movements, the UN agency said.
CU/as/APA