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Waragi Death Toll Rises to 80 in KabaleKabale/Kamwenge, Apr 23, 2010 (The Monitor/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- Fifteen more people have died of contaminated waragi in Kabale since the weekend, bringing the total deaths to 80, local authorities have said. The District Health officer, Dr Patrick Tusiime, told Daily Monitor on Wednesday that tests confirm that the poison in the alcohol is methanol. "Local distillation of alcohol produces a lot of methanol," Dr Tusiime said. The government has banned production, sale and consumption of crude waragi and spirits in Kabale, beefing up the ban recently slapped on waragi by the Kabale District Alcohol Task Force. About 120 jerrycans of crude waragi were yesterday recovered from Bukora Parish in Kitumba Sub-county, Kabale where they were hidden. More deaths In Kamwenge, the death toll has risen from five to nine according to district officials. The district chairman, Mr Edward Musingye, said four people died on Wednesday after drinking poisoned waragi. Mr Musingye said two victims have been admitted at Ntara Health Centre IV in Kamwenge and five others have been taken to Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital. |