News

The Irkutsk Region Office of the Investigative Committee continues the investigation opened into a crime under part 3 of Article 238 of the RF Penal Code (production, storage, selling of goods and products that did not meet safety standards and entailed death of two or more people) after several people died after they had drunk some liqueur. Investigators have held two dealers of this liqueur.

It has been revealed that residents of a micro-district in Leninsky District of Irkutsk bought haw concentrate to be dissolved in water for taking a bath which had a warning on the bottle that it was not intended to be drunk. Despite the warning, the residents drank it as liqueur, but it had concentrated methyl alcohol, instead of ethyl alcohol.

At present, the investigators together with police are searching markets where this product was bought. They have found more than 100 pointes that sell alcohol and the police made dozens of administrative protocols for trade violations. More than 2 thousand liters of alcohol have been seized and points have been revealed that sell haw concentrate. More than 2 thousand bottles of this concentrate of more than 500 liters in all have been confiscated.

As of today, 42 people have been taken to hospitals, 25 of whom have died. The investigators are questioning the survivors who are stable now. Necessary forensic medical and chemical examinations have been assigned, witnesses are being questioned and other investigative operations are underway to find out all the circumstances surrounding the crime. The investigation is ongoing.