Adulterated wine suspected in deaths of Cambodian villagers

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Eight villagers in Cambodia have died after drinking homemade rice wine that probably was adulterated, officials said Tuesday.

The victims had been drinking at the funeral of one of their neighbors on May 10, said Kouy Bunthouen, health department chief of Kandal province near Phnom Penh.

He said the authorities have collected blood samples from the dead as well as the remaining rice wine for laboratory testing, and although they are still awaiting the results, they presume the wine contained methanol. The villagers did not die from COVID-19, he said.

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