In Bangkok, Thailand, eight individuals have died and numerous others have been hospitalized due to ingestion of illicitly manufactured moonshine laced with harmful chemicals.
As of reporting on September 3, the eighth person had passed away and six others remained hospitalized. The eighth victim was declared dead around 6:30 PM on Monday, September 2 at a hospital located in the Saphan Sung area.
The illegal alcohol, sold from roadside stands in different Bangkok districts, was spiked with methanol and isopropanol, which resulted in severe symptoms such as breathlessness, dizziness, and vomiting – indicative of alcohol poisoning.
Beginning on August 22, 2024, a minimum of 44 people aged from 22 to 69 were initially on life support in the hospital. The public health minister Somsak Thepsutin reported that many needed respirators to assist with their breathing, half underwent kidney dialysis, and several experienced blurred vision.
The source of the moonshine was traced back to a residence in the Saphan Sung district, owned by a woman named Phatrasa, a longtime seller of herbal liquor. Phatrasa stated that the recipe handed down by her deceased father had never previously caused problems. However, recent batches of the liquor, made by two brothers she employed, led to the fatal incidents.
Phatrasa expressed her shock upon learning about the deadly impact of the latest batch. “When I tasted the latest batch of liquor, I had a little diarrhoea, but it wasn’t serious. Later, I found out that someone had died from drinking it and I was very shocked.”
According to Phatrasa, she had employed the brothers, Surasak Insam, 46, and Surachai Insam, 44, to produce rice whiskey for her. The brothers reportedly diluted the moonshine with ethyl alcohol to reduce its alcoholic content, but they denied knowing how the batch ended up contaminated with lethal methyl alcohol.
Police Major General Kiatikul Sonthinen, commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau Division 3, announced that Phatrasa would face charges of negligent homicide and causing severe injury, as well as violating the Excise Act by producing and selling liquor illegally.
The brothers, who were detained along with Phatrasa, continue to deny any knowledge of the contamination. Meanwhile, authorities are also probing a factory owner in Samut Prakan province, suspected of selling a large quantity of chemicals to the brothers, which could have led to the deadly contamination of the moonshine.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has released an urgent advisory to anyone who has consumed moonshine from any of the 18 locations identified by authorities, encouraging them to seek immediate medical attention, and assuring them they need not fear arrest.
Methanol, a highly toxic variant of alcohol, is often utilized in industrial applications as a solvent, antifreeze, or fuel. When ingested, it is poisonous and can cause blindness, organ failure, and death, even in small doses. Isopropanol, another toxic chemical found in the moonshine, is typically used as a disinfectant or solvent but is also hazardous when ingested in large quantities.
Thailand’s stringent alcohol laws, which limit liquor sales to specific hours and prohibit them on religious holidays, have inadvertently led to a booming underground market for inexpensive, unregulated alcohol. This locally produced liquor, known as “Ya Dong,” is often made in hidden distilleries without adequate safety procedures.
