Nearly two dozen people are believed to have become seriously ill and 14 others have died after drinking homemade moonshine at a weekend wedding near Jakarta, Indonesia.
“While I was there I received devastating news from a loved one [à plus de 1200 km de distance]. My oldest son died. I hope there are no more victims. As for the alcohol sellers, I trust the police to handle the matter,” complained Piping, the mother of Muhamad Rizki Hadiza, a 20-year-old victim, crying in a public cemetery, the Jakarta Globe reported on Wednesday.
The death toll from consuming tainted moonshine at a wedding reportedly rose to 14 on Tuesday, while four others remained in hospital in critical condition, Subang Criminal Investigation Department chief Herman Saputra told local media.
According to authorities, the youngest victim was just 16 years old.
A man with the initials NN, 59 years old, and his wife RH, 43 years old, are believed to be behind the tragedy.
The two were believed to have been running an illegal home-made liquor shop in a village south of Subang before it was destroyed by angry villagers this week, the Jakarta Globe reported.
One of the survivors of the tragedy, Feri Riana, reported nausea and severe headaches after consuming the contaminated alcohol on Saturday, requiring him to be hospitalized the following Monday.
“I’m really feeling better now,” the 30-year-old told reporters from his hospital bed on Wednesday, according to English-language media.
An investigation was launched to shed light on the situation while a sample of the alcohol was to be analyzed in the laboratory.