A Russian region has imposed a state of emergency after more than 400 people were taken to hospital and 15 died after drinking tainted alcohol, Russian television reported today.
The state of emergency was declared in the Pskov region, about 700 kilometres west of Moscow, but other regions across the country also reported mass outbreaks of alcohol poisoning with dozens of deaths.
Public health officials who seized alcohol on sale in the Pskov region found it contained substances usually used in medicines, reports said.
The substances react dangerously when mixed with alcohol, it said. The first cases of alcohol poisoning were reported three weeks ago.
Many of the people who needed medical help are suffering from liver problems. Prosecutors in Pskov region, which is on Russia's border with Latvia, have opened a criminal investigation.
Russia's is the world's biggest consumer of vodka, but its penchant for the drink causes major health problems. Thousands of people died each year from the effects of excessive drinking.
Bootleg vodka - which can often contain methylated spirits and other substances to boost its alcohol content - is especially deadly.