TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Bootleg liquor deaths rise to 51 in West Java
Change Size
Receiving treatment: Victims of 'oplosan' (bootleg liquor) poisoning receive medical treatment at an emergency installation at Cicalengka Regional General Hospital in Bandung regency, West Java, on April 10. (Antara/Novrian Arbi)
A
s of Tuesday, 51 people have been confirmed dead after consuming oplosan (bootleg liquor) in separate areas across West Java. The highest number of victims reportedly occurred in Bandung regency, where victims were treated in three separate hospitals.
Bandung Health Agency head Ahmad Kustijadi said that 41 of the 155 people treated at hospitals across the regency had died.
Cicalengka Regional General Hospital (RSUD) received the highest number of patients, with 31 of the 103 people treated passing away.
“At RSUD Majalaya, three of the 26 patients treated died while seven of the 26 patients treated at AMC Cileunyi Hospital also died,” said Kustijadi on Tuesday.
(Read also: Indonesia’s deadly liquor crisis escalates)
Kustijadi said the Bandung regency administration had declared an emergency status as the number of patients suffering from alcohol poisoning had continued to increase since last Friday.
“The treatment costs for the alcohol poisoning are born by the local administration. We have coordinated with related institutions to prevent the number of cases from rising,” said Kustijadi.
Bootleg liquor victims were also reported in Buah Batu in Bandung city and Pelabuhan Ratu in Sukabumi.
West Java Police chief Insp.Gen. Budi Maryoto said four people had died after consuming bootleg liquor in Bandung city while six people had died in Sukabumi.
Agung said the police were investigating three areas suspected to be production centers of oplosan. It has been reported that in Bandung regency, the bootleg liquor was sold for Rp 20,000 (US$1.40) per 600 milliliter bottle. (ebf)
