Eight People Have Died In Russia After Drinking Hand Sanitiser

Eight people have died after drinking hand sanitiser at a house party in Russia after they ran out of alcohol.

Amongst the dead are a mother and father who have now left their five children orphaned.

A 48-year-old woman, the mother of the children, is the latest to die on Thursday after drinking the hand sanitiser that contained industrial grade alcohol.

The methanol based sanitiser caused severe internal injuries that eventually led to her death.

Alongside the woman, her husband and four other men between the ages of 28 and 69 have already died, as well as a 41-year-old woman and another person whose age and gender have not been disclosed.

One of the people who drank the sanitiser has not died, and is expected to survive, but is expected to lose his sight.

All eight of the people who died had been present at a house party in Tomtor village in Russia's Sakha Republic on November 19.

Another man from nearby Aldansky district has also died after drinking the hand sanitiser, but was not present at the party.

The sanitiser that they drank contained up to 69 percent methanol, which is an industrial alcohol that can be used for loads of purposes including fuel, pesticide, and as a solvent.

Unlike ethanol, which is commonplace as the base alcohol for wine, beer, and spirits, methanol is highly poisonous to humans.

Only 3.5 percent methanol is allowed in hand sanitiser products.

Alexander Kalinin, a businessman from the Sverdlovsk region, has been arrested on suspicion of supplying the sanitiser, which has been found in public buildings such as schools, kindergartens, prisons, and other businesses.

44-year-old Kalinin is currently under house arrest whilst he is investigated. If found guilty he could face up to six years in prison.

So far, the police have seized around 4,800 litres of the deadly hand sanitiser, but there is thought to be more out there.

Methanol kills humans because it is processed and turned into acid once entering the body. That acid then enters the bloodstream and attacks the tissue, causing great damage.

Symptoms include dizziness, severe abdominal pain, mania and amnesia, blurred vision, hallucinations, heart and kidney failure, and internal bleeding.

In the long run, it can cause coma, death, and blindness in those who manage to survive the initial onslaught.

Russian authorities have reacted by issuinga warning to people telling them not to drink hand sanitiser.

Featured Image Credit: Will Stewart

Topics: World News, Weird, Russia

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a LADbible journalist and Twin Peaks enthusiast. Despite having a career in football cut short by a chronic lack of talent, he managed to obtain degrees from both the University of London and Salford. According to his French teacher, at the weekend he mostly likes to play football and go to the park with his brother. Contact Tom on [email protected]

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