Homemade beer poisons and kills 69 in Mozambique province of Tete

A homemade beer offered to family members during a funeral in Mozambique has resulted in the deaths of 69 people and has sickened at least 169 others, as reported by BloombergBusinessweek. The woman who prepared the phombe, a beer brewed from corn, was among the first fatalities, which occurred on Jan. 10. Several members of her family died as well.

Traditional alcoholic beverages are brewed at home in many African countries. They can also be served in local shacks or “informal taverns”. These drinks are often seen as an alternative to more expensive retail brands.

The funeral was held in Chitima, a town in the Tete province. Ms. Paula Sales, health director in the Tete province, said, “We fear that the number of deaths will still increase as many people are still coming to hospital with diarrhea and muscular pains, the principle [sic] symptoms.”

Samples from the bodies of the poison victims will be sent to the Mozambique capital, Maputo, and then later to South Africa. Health Minister Alexandre Manguele stated that these samples will be used to determine the specific cause of the poisonings.

Mozambique is not the only country where such poisonings have occurred. A drink known as chang’aa, distilled from grains such as wheat and corn, caused the death of at least 105 people in Kenya in May 2014.

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