Summary At least 51 people have died in Libya since Saturday after drinking cheap homemade alcohol.
TRIPOLI (AFP) - More than 50 people have died in Libya since Saturday after drinking cheap homemade alcohol and hundreds were poisoned, the health ministry said on Monday, as the authorities in the Muslim country vowed a crackdown on booze trafficking.
The ministry said 38 people died in Tripoli hospitals while 13 others perished on their way to neighbouring Tunisia, where their families were hoping they could be treated.
At least 378 people were poisoned after drinking the homemade brew known locally as Boukha that was tainted with methanol, the ministry added, while urging Libyans to stop consuming any form of alcohol.
A security official, asking to remain anonymous, said the authorities were preparing to crackdown on suppliers and traffickers of alcohol, whose sale and consumption is prohibited in Libya, although it can be found on the black market.
Interior ministry spokesman Houssine al-Ameri told AFP that an investigation had been launched to determine who was responsible for the killer booze.
A health ministry source said at least two women were among the victims but refused to give further details due to the "delicate" nature of the issue and the sensitivities of the families of the victims in the ultra-conservative country.
Tripoli medical centre s health chief Youssef al-Wafi said on Sunday that "preliminary tests revealed the symptoms of poisoning from the consumption of homemade alcohol containing methanol."
He said those thought to have consumed the toxic drink ranging in age from 19 to 50.
