NDTV: Malaysian authorities have arrested at least nine people during a series of raids in Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley in connection with a recent string of alcohol poisoning deaths. The first death was reported on Monday night and the toll has risen steadily since. A total of 21 people have now died from drinking tainted alcohol, said the Health Ministry on Tuesday reports channelnewsasia.com. Another 36 have taken ill, some of them in critical condition. ‘The number of cases is expected to increase as more patients come in for treatment,’ Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad told a news conference in the administrative capital of Putrajaya. Five Malaysians were among those affected, while the rest were foreigners from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar and Nepal, Dzulkefly added. He said authorities tested several types of alcoholic drinks and found that some samples contained methanol in higher proportions than authorised. Symptoms of methanol poisoning include shortness of breath, abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting, diarrhoea, dizziness, severe headaches, blurred vision and stiffness.
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