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Police detains 11 suspects in deadly methanol poisoning in Siberia

According to the latest casualty figures, a total of 102 cases of poisoning with methanol-containing bath lotion, 58 of them fatal, have so far been registered in Irkutsk

© ITAR-TASS/Mikhail Metzel, archive

IRKUTSK, December 21. /TASS/. A total of 11 people were detained for their suspected role in the mass methanol poisoning in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, an official with the city administration told TASS Wednesday.

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"At today’s session of the emergency situation committee, a police spokesman said 11 people were detained as part of a criminal case into the alcohol poisoning. He said law enforcers had enough reasons to detain them," the official said.

The official said some of the suspects are linked to others.

Presidential envoy to the Siberian federal district, Sergei Menyailo, confirmed the information, adding that "charges have already been filed against some of the suspects."

He did not specify what charges were laid and what measures of pretrial restriction have been chosen for the suspects.

According to the latest casualty figures, a total of 102 cases of poisoning with methanol-containing bath lotion, 58 of them fatal, have so far been registered in Irkutsk. No new deaths occurred overnight.

A ban on sales of all nonfood alcohol-containing products has been imposed in Irkutsk and in the region. The ban will stay in place as long as checks continue at local stores as to whether they have on sale the lethal bath lotion called Boyaryshnik (Hawthorn) and similar products.

A criminal case was launched into production, storage and sales of products that do not correspond to safety standards, which resulted in the deaths of two or more people.

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