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ix people died from alcohol poisoning at Sanglah General Hospital on Wednesday, making the number of deaths caused by alcohol poisoning rise to 12 this week.

Five victims were admitted to the hospital's Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on Wednesday, while the remaining victim was admitted to hospital Tuesday.

Sanglah General Hospital, the largest medical facility on the island, has treated 22 people for alcohol poisoning this week.

Sanglah's ICU chief Kuning Atmadjaya said the seven people admitted to hospital on Wednesday came from different regions in Bali. Some of the victims had consumed alcoholic beverages two days prior to developing symptoms of poisoning, while the rest had consumed liquor the day before being rushed to hospital.

"In general, they showed similar symptoms; loss of consciousness, nausea and vomiting. The majority of them also suffered from acute kidney failure," he said.

"These symptoms are typically caused by alcohol mixed with ethanol," he added.

The mixing of alcohol with ethanol, Kuning stressed, created a new substance with similar chemical characteristics to formaldehyde, a liquid commonly used to preserve human corpses.

Mixing alcohol with other ingredients is not uncommon in Bali, as avid drinkers from low-income families find inexpensive ways get inebriated.

Over the last couple of years, a locally produced concoction called arak oplosan has gained growing popularity among drinkers.

The beverage is made by mixing local arak (rice wine) with several other ingredients to increase its potency. These ingredients range from other alcoholic liquids, traditional spices and dangerous substances including petrol, methanol, ethanol and even detergent.

Arak oplosan enables drinkers to get drunk faster with lesser amounts of alcohol. It is a much cheaper way of getting drunk than the common arak or expensive imported liquors.

The alcohol poisoning victims were identified as Tia, a 23-year-old girl from Renon, Denpasar, who was pronounced dead on arrival, Nyoman Wilastra from Badung, Komang Rai Budiana from Tabanan, Denpasar residents Herry Mulyono and Maria, and Putu Merta Dana, who had been on a life-support machine since Tuesday.

Two other patients, Komang Jaya Atmaja from Tabanan and I Putu Ramanda Parendra, are still in critical condition.

Jaya Atmaja, who suffered blindness as a result of the poisoning, was very agitated when he was being treated.

"How could I become blind," he asked the attending nurses repeatedly.

His wife, Kadek Sariasih was no less panicked; emotion ran high when she learned that two of her husband's drinking buddies had just passed away in nearby beds.

Bali Police have launched a formal investigation into these cases of alcohol poisoning. Bali Police Drugs and Narcotics Division chief Sr. Comr. Kokot Indarto said the police forensic team was collecting evidence at the houses of several victims and at Sanglah General Hospital.

"The houses are in Gianyar, Tabanan and Denpasar," he said.

He admitted that so far detectives have little information about the alcoholic beverages consumed by the victims.

"I hope the victims' families will give us permission to perform autopsies on the victims," he said.

Chief of the police forensic laboratory, Sr. Comr. Muhibin, said the forensic team had confiscated a water gallon containing arak oplosan.