T

he death toll from alcohol poisoning rose to 16 as of Thursday afternoon, after three more people died at Sanglah General Hospital. Separate tests conducted by the hospital and the police have confirmed the deadly liquor contained methanol.

Head of the hospital's forensic unit, I.B. Putu Alit, said his team had carried out an autopsy on one of the victims, identified only as a 30-year-old woman.

"We found methanol in her bloodstream, and the substance had damaged her internal organs," he said.

The physician found no signs of violence on the body, only a minor wound in the mouth, likely to have been caused by a seizure.

"The lungs and kidneys suffered the worst damage," Alit added.

He urged the public to refrain from consuming suspicious-looking beverages, including those without official labels and registration numbers from the food and drug authority.

"Even a tiny amount of methanol is highly dangerous for human consumption," he warned.

Methanol, locally known as spiritus, is a bluish liquid used by the Balinese in rural areas to light pump lanterns.

The fatalities Thursday were identified as I Gusti Putu Natih, Arpan Dadi and Dandum Prasetyawan. I Putu Balik Sanjaya also died Monday, but his death was not recorded by the hospital.

As of Thursday, Sanglah General Hospital had treated 30 people displaying symptoms of alcohol poisoning. At least 10 are still in a critical condition.

The hospital has coordinated with the local police to identify the source of the arak oplosan, the locally produced liquor believed to have caused the poisoning. Over the past few years, arak oplosan has gained in popularity.

The beverage is made by mixing local arak (rice wine) with several other ingredients to drastically enhance the potency of the drink. The added ingredients range from traditional spices to oddly dangerous substances including fuel, methanol, ethanol and even detergent.