“Slow Death”, the drink that killed 9 people at a party in Venezuela

At least nine people have died from consuming a drink called “Slow Death” at a party in Yacaray, state of Venezuela. Another 16 people had to be hospitalized.

The name of the liqueur was given by the inhabitants of Chivacoa, a village in the agricultural region, located in the central west of the country, where a party was held in a rural house which, according to reports from the local press, lasted all night and it included traditional music, poets and local artists.

“It started on January 1 with loss of vision. I was very dizzy”recalls Joselyn Oropeza, a 27-year-old housewife, referring to her uncle Oswaldo Oviedo, one of the victims.

Oviedo was attending the funeral of another deceased when the symptoms worsened, forcing him to go to a health centre.

“They put something to detox him,” she said. However, the patient had to be transferred to another hospital 30 kilometers away, where he eventually died.

And he added a chilling fact: “Their organs were totally destroyed by what they ingested”.

Governor Julio León confirmed the balance of nine deaths and 16 hospitalized “due to alcohol poisoning from a homemade product without health registration”.

A police source said so, reports the AFP agency the liquor has been adulterated with methanola substance that is often used to raise the alcohol level of clandestine drinks, but which can cause blindness, liver damage and ultimately death.

Consumption of artisanal alcoholic beverages has increased in Venezuela due to their low costin the midst of the economic crisis it is going through.

They are common at parties in popular neighborhoods of large cities and in towns in the interior of the country, reports the same news agency.

As the days passed, the number of victims multiplied.

“We are going through a painful moment (…), most of the deceased are friends and, in part, also brothers”, complained Winder Campos, brother of Manuel Campos, shortly after visiting his grave.

The authorities interviewed the relatives and visited the house where the party was held, where there were several bottles on the lawn in the garden. From them, samples were taken for further analysis.

“It’s not known what they actually prepared it with,” Oropeza said, but “it’s very strange that so many people died in such a short time, three days.”

Although the origin of the liquor is not yet known, the local police are trying to locate the suppliers. Nabor Pinto, the person who brought the lethal drink to the party, was one of the fatal victims of the mass poisoning.

With information from AFP

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