Ecuador bans alcohol after bootleg liquor deaths

GlobalPost

Ecuador has imposed a three-day blanket ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol — after 21 people died from drinking bootleg liquor.

Initially a dry law was imposed in the coastal town of Urdaneta, in Los Rios province, where the deaths occurred, but authorities on Sunday decided to extend the ban nationwide after bootleg liquor was reported in other provinces.

An additional 103 people were treated for intoxication from the tainted alcohol in Los Rios, where the BBC reported that police confiscated 28 containers, some contaminated with methanol — a toxic substance sometimes used to illegally produce cheap liquor.

(From GlobalPost in Latin America: Who holds the world's oil?)

The Spanish news agency Efe reported that police had made one arrest.

Officials said the ban would give time for the country's police and armed forces to seek out and confiscate bootleg alcohol.

Public Health Minister David Chiriboga called on those who had consumed alcohol to immediately seek help in the event of nausea or vomiting. He said other symptoms included abdominal pain, blurred vision or breathing difficulties.

Will you support The World? 

The story you just read is accessible and free to all because thousands of listeners and readers contribute to our nonprofit newsroom. We go deep to bring you the human-centered international reporting that you know you can trust. To do this work and to do it well, we rely on the support of our listeners. If you appreciated our coverage this year, if there was a story that made you pause or a song that moved you, would you consider making a gift to sustain our work through 2024 and beyond?