CIANJUR, West Java: Nine people have died from alcohol poisoning after attending a drinking event in Cianjur, West Java, local authorities said.
The latest victim died in the early hours of Monday (Feb 10) morning after his condition had worsened, according to Head of Cianjur Police Narcotics Unit Septian Pratama.
“There were a total of 12 victims, nine have died and for the other three, one is still being treated (at the hospital) while the other two have been discharged,” he said on Monday, as quoted by local news outlet Detik.
Local media reported earlier that the 12 of them – villagers from Pademangan Village aged between 29 and 55 years old – had consumed dangerously high alcohol content at a drinking event last Thursday.
They reportedly mixed their own drinks using 96 per cent ethanol purchased from an online shop, Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Mande District Police Helmi told Jakarta Globe.
The five-litre container of ethanol arrived on Thursday evening and one of them had mixed it with soda and bottled drinks before consuming the drinks at one of their houses, Kompas reported.
According to the police, most of them began experiencing severe alcohol intoxication symptoms including nausea, vomiting, headaches, loss of muscle control and a burning sensation in the chest the following day.
Three of the 12 died at home after fellow villagers discovered their bodies.
“Some of them died at the hospital, and some also died at home because they did not receive medical treatment in time,” Septian earlier said on Saturday, as quoted by Kompas.
The police also found the jerry can container at one of the victim’s houses, believed to be where the drinking event took place, according to Kompas.
“When other villagers found the alcohol remnants and tried to burn it, the liquid caused an explosion,” Septian told reporters on Saturday.
He added that initial investigations found that they had consumed “non-food-grade alcohol”, typically used for external purposes like disinfectants.
The police are also investigating if there were others involved in the drinking event.
Separately, four people died at another drinking event on Friday in Central Bogor, West Java.
One other remains in critical condition, Kompas reported.
They had allegedly consumed alcoholic mixed beverages, said Central Bogor Police Chief Commissioner Agustinus Manurung on Sunday, though it remains unclear which type of alcohol was consumed.
Two people at the location and the alcohol seller have been questioned at the Central Bogor Police Station on Sunday evening.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-cianjur-west-java-alcohol-poisoning-4928126
