Methanol-tainted Nigeria drink kills 48, 182 made ill: government

Nigeria’s food and drug regulator on Saturday said alcoholic concoctions tainted with Methanol killed 48 people and sickened 182 in recent weeks.The deaths occurred in three districts of Nigeria’s southwestern Ondo state after victims consumed the locally brewed mixture, which local media said is known as “Monkey Tail”.Methanol is highly toxic and causes death by organ failure as well as blindness.The country’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said five people had been made totally blind and two had partially lost their sight.The first cases of poisoning were reported earlier this month and the toll has gradually been rising.In 2022, 21 teenagers in the South African city East London died after drinking Methanol in a bar. File photo: APAuthorities have arrested 15 people in connection with the production and sale of the drink, the agency said.