KUWAIT CITY: Thirteen migrant workers have died and at least 21 others have lost their vision after consuming methanol-laced alcohol in Kuwait over the past five days, according to Arab media reports citing the Ministry of Health.
Health authorities confirmed that dozens of others were hospitalized in critical condition. Fifty patients required urgent kidney dialysis, while 31 were placed on ventilators due to respiratory failure.
All of the victims were migrant workers from Asian countries, employed in Kuwait.
Alcohol consumption and trade have been strictly prohibited in Kuwait since 1964, including both import and domestic production.
However, illegal alcohol sales continue to operate underground. Such unregulated products often contain toxic industrial chemicals like methanol, which can cause blindness, organ failure, and death.
Authorities have launched an investigation to trace the source of the toxic alcohol and apprehend those responsible for its distribution.
