6 dead in Thailand after drinking bootleg liquor

The deaths happened mainly in Khlong Sam Wa district on the northwest edge of Bangkok, where authorities found 19 illegal roadside alcohol stands, the Thai capital’s administration said.

Six people have died at hospital and 22 more were in critical condition on Wednesday morning, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said in a statement.

“After the drinking, my father said the symptoms reminded him of gas reflux, and next thing he remembered, was that he was at the ICU,” one of the drinkers’ relatives told public broadcaster ThaiPBS.

Predominantly Buddhist Thailand has strict alcohol laws, restricting liquor sales to certain hours of the day and banning them on religious holidays.

But critics say the rules drive a thriving black market for cheap alcohol made in unregulated backstreet distilleries, locally known as “Ya Dong”.

Somwang Chaiprakraiwan, the top local official in Khlong Sam Wa district, said authorities had cracked down on illicit alcohol shops in the area.

“Police and the department of excise have arrested and detained them,” Somwang told AFP.

Illicit liquor is often spiked with methanol to increase its potency. If ingested, methanol can cause blindness, liver damage and death.