In Bangkok, Thailand, a batch of illicitly produced moonshine has claimed at least six lives, while dozens more have been admitted to hospitals due to poisoning from toxic chemicals.
The illegal alcohol, purchased from various street stalls across Bangkok, was found to be contaminated with methanol and isopropanol. Consumers soon complained of severe symptoms such as difficulty in breathing, dizziness, and vomiting, all indicative of alcohol poisoning.
A minimum of 37 people aged from 22 to 69 were on life support in the hospital.
The public health minister Somsak Thepsutin reported that 15 of the injured individuals needed respirators to assist with their breathing, 22 underwent kidney dialysis, and 21 experienced blurred vision.
An investigation traced the source of the moonshine to a house in the Saphan Sung district, owned by a woman named Phatrasa. She had been selling herbal liquor for many years, using a recipe passed down by her late father. Phatrasa insisted that the recipe had never caused problems before. However, she admitted that recent batches of the liquor, made by two men she had hired, had led to the fatalities.
Phatrasa expressed her shock upon learning the deadly effects of the recent batch. “When I tasted the latest batch of liquor, I had a little diarrhea, but it wasn’t serious. Later, I found out that someone had died from drinking it and I was very shocked,” she said.
She had hired the brothers, Surasak Insam, 46, and Surachai Insam, 44, to produce rice whiskey. The brothers reportedly diluted it with ethyl alcohol to lower its alcohol content, but they denied knowing how the lethal methyl alcohol ended up in the batch.
According to Police Major General Kiatikul Sonthinen, commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau Division 3, Phatrasa faces charges of negligently causing death and severe injury, along with charges of violating the Excise Act by manufacturing and selling liquor without a license.
Authorities arrested the Insam brothers alongside Phatrasa, but they continue to deny their involvement in the contamination. The police are also investigating a factory owner in Samut Prakan province, who is suspected of selling a large quantity of chemicals to the brothers, potentially contributing to the toxic contamination of the moonshine.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has issued a public warning to anyone who has consumed moonshine from any of the 18 identified locations. Authorities are urging people to seek immediate medical attention, assuring them that they will not face arrest.
Methanol, a highly toxic substance often used as a solvent, antifreeze, or fuel in industrial applications, is harmful when ingested and can cause blindness, organ failure, and even death, even in small amounts. Isopropanol, another toxic chemical found in moonshine, is typically used as a disinfectant or solvent and is also harmful if consumed in large quantities.
Strict alcohol regulations in Thailand, which limit liquor sales to specific hours and prohibit them on religious holidays, have inadvertently fostered a black market for inexpensive, unregulated alcohol. This homemade liquor, locally known as “Ya Dong,” is often produced in clandestine distilleries without proper safety measures.
