Tainted homemade rice wine kills 15 at funerals in Cambodia


PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Fifteen people have died and at least 78 have been hospitalised in recent weeks after drinking toxic rice wine at a series of funerals in Cambodia in the past five weeks, officials said on Friday.

Rice wine sales were banned in Kompong Chhnang province, about 90 km (55 miles) from the capital, Phnom Penh, after villagers became sick from drinking methanol-tainted wine, said Sorin Tiravuthy, director of the provincial hospital.

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