Adulterated rice wine leaves one dead and 27 hospitalised in northwest Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, June 4 (Xinhua): One villager died and 27 others were hospitalised in northwest Cambodia's Pursat province after drinking homemade rice wine, which is suspected to contain high levels of methanol, a local health official said on Sunday.

Teuk Sopheap, deputy chief of Pursat Provincial Health Department, said the incident happened on Thursday night during the funeral of a resident in Morth Prey village under Krakor district where the tainted rice wine was served.

"One man was confirmed dead, and 27 others had been admitted to hospital after the incident," he told Xinhua. "The patients have been recovering well and there is no risk to their lives."

Sopheap said the victims had developed symptoms such as eye irritation, chest pain, breathing difficulty, dizziness, headache, and fatigue after drinking the adulterated wine.

The toxic wine's samples had been taken for a lab test, he added.

Rice wine is popular in rural areas in Cambodia due to its low price.

In October last year, three people died and 66 others were hospitalized in Kampong Cham province's Stung Trang district after drinking homemade rice wine containing dangerous levels of methanol. - Xinhua