48 people die in Irkutsk after drinking bath cleaning product

Law enforcement agencies have detained seven suspects for the death of at least 48 people poisoned after drinking a bath cleaning product, said German Bratchikov, deputy chief of the Irkutsk’s Department of Internal Affairs.

The product, sold under the brand name Boyaryshnik, contained methyl alcohol and antifreeze. According to Alexey Krupin, head of the local branch of Russia's alcohol regulatory body, the product's label indicated that 93 percent of its composition was made up of ethanol, i.e. ordinary drinking alcohol. The label, which listed hawthorn extract, lemon oil, glycerol, and diethyl phthalate as additional ingredients, did, however, state that the liquid should not be ingested.

According to police, the bath cleaning product was made by an illegal enterprise producing alcohol-based liquids at a gardening company in Irkutsk.

Two people overseeing the illegal workshop have been detained, as well as five people involved in distribution and retail activities for the poisonous substance, said a regional police representative.

Irkutsk mayor Dmitry Berdnikov has declared a state of emergency. According to Berdnikov, a temporary ban on the trade of non-food grade alcohol-containing liquids, including those sold under the brand name Boyaryshnik, would also be introduced in Irkutsk.

Chairman of city's Economic Committee Ruslan Kim said that there would be a total ban on the sale of spirits in grocery stores. The Boyaryshnik liquid has been recalled from shops across the city.