11 people have died and 10 are in a critical condition after drinking a popular homemade alcohol in Colombia.
Police in Barranquilla, Colombia, were first alerted to the tragedy when reports came in of an unconscious man in the street.
Emergency services attended, but confirmed that the 47-year-old had died, as per Colombia One.
Soon, more followed.
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Agustin Guerrero, a toxicologist, has been leading the medical response and revealed that a person who was taken to hospital ‘did not respond to resuscitation efforts and died upon admission’.
Guerrero said: “The patients were brought by law enforcement to the General Hospital of Barranquilla in very critical condition.
"The first one arrived practically without vital signs, and despite resuscitation efforts, he died.”
Stating that this is what ‘alerted all of us attending physicians’, he revealed that the man had come from ‘the Boliche area.’
Other patients required intubation, resuscitation and ‘immediate transfer to intensive care’, he said and added that it was discovered that the victims had suffered methanol poisoning - something that could ‘have an immediate onset or appear hours after ingestion, which often makes early detection difficult.’
A drink called ‘cochoco’ is a popular alcohol for the homeless population in Barranquilla, as it contains cheap ingredients.
Usually, it is mixed with ethyl alcohol, methanol and other liquids and is sold in plastic bottles for around 50 cents.
Police are currently investigating claims that the booze was distributed by a man on a motorcycle, El Tiempo reported.
Brigadier General Edwin Urrego, commander of the Metropolitan Police, said, per Vanguardia Liberal: "At the scene, we found two jerry cans and bottle remains in extremely poor sanitary conditions. Three of the deceased didn't even make it to a hospital, as they died in the street.”
According to the NHS, methanol is ‘directly toxic due to its suppressive effect on the central nervous system’.
Its website explains that: “Methanol is metabolised by alcohol dehydrogenase to formaldehyde, and then by aldehyde dehydrogenase to formic acid.”
Those who suffer from methanol poisoning can experience visual disturbance, with as little as 4 mL of methanol able to cause blindness.
However, around 30ml causes ‘ocular toxicity’ in adults, and 60ml is the minimum fatal dose.
Symptoms of visual disturbance could occur around 24 hours later, but from between 30 to 120 minutes post ingestion, ‘clinical effects resemble those of mild ethanol inebriation with drowsiness, confusion and irritability.’
Between 6 and 30 hours, someone may start to experience 'dizziness, drowsiness, vomiting, severe abdominal pain and diarrhoea’.
Topics: Alcohol, World News, Health
Britt Jones