Some residents of a town have been killed while others are still lying in hospital bed without a chance of survival after they drank a local gin bath masquerading as a safe alcoholic drink.
The fake drink
On Monday, at least 55 people have been reported dead while others are lying in the hospital at the Siberian city of Irkutsk after consuming cheap “surrogate” alcohol called ‘Hawthon’ which consists of a myriad of nasty liquids, including medical ethanol, window cleaner and perfume.
Authorities who described Hawthorn intake as the worst such case in modern Russian history, estimate that up to 12 million Russians regularly ingest these types of fake liquors.
The Guardian reports:
“Over 40 die in Siberia after drinking bath oil for alcoholic kicks. The deaths in Irkutsk appear to have been caused by a counterfeit batch of Boyaryshnik, a concentrated liquid sold as a relaxant to add to bathwater but widely known as a cheap alcohol substitute. It cost a maximum of 40 roubles (£0.52) per bottle, making it cheaper than even the lowest-cost vodka, and was even put on sale in public vending machines earlier this year.
“According to the label, Boyaryshnik contains 93% ethanol, hawthorn extract and lemon oils but tests on the Irkutsk consignment suggested it also contained methanol, an ingredient in antifreeze. Police said they had discovered an underground workshop in the city where bottles of fake Boyaryshnik were being produced, along with counterfeit bottles of well-known vodka brands.”
