Disturbing news emerges from southern Tunisia, where four lives have been lost, and 40 individuals are now under medical care due to the consumption of toxic alcohol, as confirmed by an official spokesperson.
In response to the tragic incident, a spokesperson for the Medenine court, Fethi Baccouche, confirmed to AFP that an inquiry is underway, and the supplier of the toxic alcohol is now in custody.
Authorities have initiated a thorough analysis of the alcohol to determine the precise factors responsible for the mass poisoning.
Baccouche disclosed that, out of the 40 survivors, the majority have been discharged from the hospital, while an unspecified number have been relocated to the capital Tunis for further treatment.
Fatalities are all too common in Tunisia due to poisonings from improperly produced or adulterated alcohol; this has become a pervasive issue.
Tunisian health authorities shared a distressing update in 2021, revealing five fatalities and the hospitalization of 25 individuals in Kasserine, located in the country’s west, all linked to the consumption of contaminated alcohol.
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Near the city of Kairouan in May 2020, a harrowing incident unfolded as 39 individuals were poisoned, leading to the tragic death of six individuals, all linked to the consumption of methanol.
In certain working-class neighborhoods of Tunis and remote regions marked by high poverty rates, the consumption of homemade alcohol is prevalent.
The allure of affordability persists, with this illegal alcohol often being much cheaper than its legal counterparts available in shops.