INDONESIA: Bootleg alcohol kills dozens in weeks

At least 45 people have died and dozens more are being treated in hospitals in Indonesia after drinking illegally produced alcohol. The death toll is likely to rise, with fatalities recorded in several provinces in recent days, police said. Spirits bought on the black market in the country can contain lethal amounts of methanol. Police […]

At least 45 people have died and dozens more are being treated in hospitals in Indonesia after drinking illegally produced alcohol.

The death toll is likely to rise, with fatalities recorded in several provinces in recent days, police said.

Spirits bought on the black market in the country can contain lethal amounts of methanol.

Police are conducting raids on properties across the country and at least nine people have been arrested.

Some 100 people are believed to have consumed the bootleg alcohol, police said on Tuesday, with many of them in critical condition in hospital.

The deaths were recorded in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, West Java and in the eastern province of Papua.