4°c A few clouds
18°c Sunny
The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION
Libyan top security chief says 79 people have died this week from homemade alcohol
TRIPOLI, Libya - The top security official in Libya's capital said Tuesday 79 people have died over the past four days from drinking homemade alcohol, suspected of containing poisonous methanol.
Colonel Mahmoud al-Sharif, security chief in Tripoli, said authorities are searching for two people believed to be involved in making the poisonous drinks. He said authorities are looking into whether it was the methanol or bad fermentation that caused the large number of victims.
He said at least seven were found dead in their bed after consuming the bad liquor. The victims began to arrive to hospitals on March 7, he said. They included 10 women, he said.
Al-Sharif raised the death toll from the one earlier reported by the health minister Nouri Doghman, who said 60 people died.
Doghman said that some of those who survived were blinded, and others went into comas or suffered kidney failure. He pointed to delayed relief efforts as contributing to the increasing toll. On Monday, 51 were reported dead.
He said the dead range in age from 19 to 50 years old, and that Algerians and Tunisians were among them.
The sale and consumption of alcohol is banned in the conservative North African country. Like illegal drugs elsewhere, some Libyans turn to black market dealers to buy alcohol, which is often cooked in homes or deserted farms.
Fact Check
Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.
More World
- Back to Top
- Return to World
More World
(1 of 29 articles for today)
FBI agent fatally shoots man at Orlando, Fla., apartment complex
7:15 AM 0ORLANDO, Fla. - A man was fatally shot when a team of FBI agents swarmed an apartment complex near Universal ...
Poll
Most Popular World
- Search for survivors of Oklahoma tornado nearly complete, as homeowners confront devastation
- Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris evacuated after suicide inside the landmark church
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Jury sent to begin deliberating whether to give Jodi Arias life in prison or death sentence
- Tornado leads CBS to pull season-ending episode of 'Mike & Molly'
- The pope and the devil: Francis' obsession with Satan leads to suspicion he performed exorcism
- Umbrella-gate stirs outrage
- US zoo looking into conception mystery after birth of anteater; no male in pen
- South Africa: Tears as court acquits Oscar Pistorius' brother in woman's death in accident
- After exchange, Israel warns against Golan attacks, says Syria will 'bear consequences'
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Search for survivors of Oklahoma tornado nearly complete, as homeowners confront devastation
- Phone cracked? Cool
- US woman credits 'mother's instincts' in chase of 4-year-old daughter's abductor
- Umbrella-gate stirs outrage
- US zoo looking into conception mystery after birth of anteater; no male in pen
- Remote Alaska volcano continues to erupt, with lava fountains, ash plumes
- Boston Marathon runners who couldn't finish because of blasts can return in 2014
- Jurors find Jodi Arias eligible for death penalty after murder conviction in boyfriend killing
- The pope and the devil: Francis' obsession with Satan leads to suspicion he performed exorcism
- Amanda Berry, 1 of 3 women freed after held captive in Ohio home, arrives at sister's home
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Friendship with bomb suspect, complex chain of events leads to 3 being charged
- Police vow to solve shooting that wounded 19 people during Mother's Day parade in New Orleans
- Missing Pa. woman, last seen dropping off kids for school in 2002, surfaces in Fla.
- Cleveland police: Ohio captive suffered 5 miscarriages after being beaten and starved
- As Boston mourns, suspected brothers' radicalism comes into focus
- Jodi Arias convicted of first-degree murder, says she prefers death penalty
- Neighbours: Man in custody comforted missing girl's mom, helped search for missing US women
- High school baseball team lifts car to free 16-year-old girl
- Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founding member of rock group The Doors, dies at 74 from cancer
- Argentina's 'dirty war' dictator dies
- Search for survivors of Oklahoma tornado nearly complete, as homeowners confront devastation
- Jury sent to begin deliberating whether to give Jodi Arias life in prison or death sentence
- Arias hearing a 'witch hunt,' lawyers say
- Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris evacuated after suicide inside the landmark church
- Trove of Muppets creator Jim Henson's items headed for NYC's Museum of the Moving Image
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founding member of rock group The Doors, dies at 74 from cancer
- Hatchet-wielding hitchhiker who intervened in California attack arrested in NJ homicide
- Remote Alaska volcano continues to erupt, with lava fountains, ash plumes
- Argentina's 'dirty war' dictator dies
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Shady characters: Cookie Monster, Elmo accused of aggressive behaviour in Times Square
- U.S. envoy punted; Russia alleges spying
- 16 tornadoes wallop North Texas, 6 dead; Habitat homes among many devastated in 1 subdivision
- US woman credits 'mother's instincts' in chase of 4-year-old daughter's abductor
- 'Coronation Street' actor William Roache charged in UK over alleged rapes in 1967
- Coroner: 5-year-old boy shoots 2-year-old sister in US with rifle he got as a gift
- Hitler ate well, his food taster recalls
- Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
- Female guards, rapidly growing in numbers, at heart of U.S. prison scandal
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Bill to alter rules of succession before Kate gives birth nears completion as Lords approve
- US tourists swim for nearly 14 hours after boat sinks near St. Lucia
- IBM makes movie about a little boy - a very little boy - by pushing molecules around
- Friendship with bomb suspect, complex chain of events leads to 3 being charged
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.