Black-market methyl alcohol kills 7 in Cuba; 41 hospitalized

[joshcryer]

Black-market methyl alcohol kills 7 in Cuba; 41 hospitalized
HAVANA — Seven people have died of poisoning after consuming black-market methyl alcohol and 41 others remained hospitalized, Cuban authorities said Wednesday.

A Health Ministry report read out on the state TV afternoon news said numerous people began showing up at Havana emergency rooms Monday exhibiting symptoms of “serious poisoning.”

...

The Health Ministry said the victims bought the deadly booze from a black-market merchant who procured it from two pharmaceutical employees.

Eight of the 41 people still hospitalized were in serious condition.

[dipsydoodle]

1. Very sad

Hope they get the bastards who made it.

[joshcryer]

2. Yeah, what the hell.

Methyl alcohol can be used as a fuel but I don't think Cuba's cars could handle it very well. So I can't see them claiming "we sold it for fuel." They very likely sold it knowing that it was going to be consumed.

Sad part is that it has the same taste and odor as ethanol (yes, ethanol has a distinct burn taste that most would recognize, though I know typically people consider ethanol tasteless). Horrific because the people drinking it couldn't have known otherwise.

[Socialistlemur]

4. It could be cooking fuel

Maybe it was sold for plain fuel. I mean to cook or use in a lamp?

[joshcryer]

6. That's a possiblity, I mean, for the claim.

That if they get caught they could say they sold it for cooking fuel.

Then everyone gets to go to jail.

So either way.

[Scootaloo]

3. Nothing's wrong with the people who made it - Methyl alcohol is always highly toxic.

The problem is with whatever assholes procured it and sold it as booze. I'm going to presume they sold it as such, and it wasn't just some people being either very unfortunate or very stupid.

[joshcryer]

5. Sounds like they caught the street / black market vendor.

Who claims he got it from some people in pharmaceuticals. Otherwise how would they know about those people or be looking for them? There's no way to know which side of each respective criminals' story is true.