A few days ago we heard of a mass alcohol poisoning event in Russia, where 32 people died and nearly 100 became gravely ill. Many went permanently blind. The Russians cancelled their I Love Cider 2023 festival in Moscow due this month, and rescheduled it due to the poor publicity. According to local media, the cider contained lethal amounts of methanol, also known as methyl alcohol or wood alcohol, and is much more toxic than the ethanol found in regular alcoholic drinks. (Antifreeze, in other words.) One person is under arrest on suspicion of adding methanol to the cider, probably for that extra "kick".
And via CBS, "Such cases are not uncommon in Russia, where cheap alcohol substitutes are a persistent problem, particularly in rural areas with very low standards of living. In 2021, at least 34 people died from drinking bootleg liquor containing methanol, in two separate incidents. In 2016 more than 60 people died in the Siberian city of Irkutsk after drinking bath essence containing methanol, a toxic substance used in anti-freeze."
Source: Insider (Russia)
The cider festival I Love Cider 2023 will be postponed in Moscow. This is due to the mass poisoning of the Mister Cider drink, Alina Lokteva, the organizer of the event, told RBC. The event was scheduled for June 17th. The tentative new date is July 15, tickets sold remain valid.
Recall that after poisoning with the alcohol-containing drink "Mr. Cider", 32 people have already died, while on the first day of detection of poisoning there were 6 dead, then their number increased. It is known about cases of death of people in the Ulyanovsk, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod regions and Udmurtia. The first case of cider poisoning was also recorded in Chuvashia, the victim is being provided with medical assistance. Three more girls were hospitalized in the city hospitals of Penza, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation reported. More than 100 people were injured, some of them are in hospitals in different regions with symptoms of poisoning.
Impurities of methanol and ethyl butyrate were found in cider. Alcohol for the drink was stolen from the warehouse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It has been kept there since 2012 after being seized.
