KIEV, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from mass alcohol poisoning in Ukraine has passed 50, the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection said on Wednesday.
"We have already registered 101 cases of poisoning from drinking dangerous counterfeit alcohol, 51 of whom ended lethally," the agency said in a statement.
According to the statement, 38 of those who died were residents of eastern Kharkov region, while 13 other victims lived in four separate regions in eastern, southern and northern Ukraine.
Earlier, the police have determined that Kharkov region was the place where the batch of deadly moonshine was produced and packed.
A preliminary investigation showed that illegal producers have mixed vodka with toxic methyl alcohol to make it cheaper.
The spurious vodka was sold in groceries for about 1 U.S. dollar for a half-liter bottle, while the minimal retail price for the same amount of certified alcohol is set at 2.8 dollars in Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian association of alcohol makers "Ukrvodka," about half of liquor that is traded in the country is counterfeit.
