Estonia alcohol toll rises again

Nearly 200 people have been affected

Nineteen people remained in hospital on Monday, some seriously ill, more than a month after Estonia's worst-ever outbreak of bootleg alcohol poisoning began.

At least 67 people are now known to have died, and officials say some of those in hospital remain seriously ill. More than 110 people have needed hospital treatment.

There are one or two people on average dying in hospitals every week, but the flow of new patients stopped several weeks ago

Police official Kadri Palta

Seven people have been charged with involuntary manslaughter over the deaths, police have disclosed.

They face a maximum of three years in prison if convicted.

Two other people have been charged with stealing methanol, although police say the suspects did not know its intended purpose.

Methanol

The cheap home-made alcohol began killing people early last month.

It proved deadly because it contained methanol, which is normally used for industrial purposes and in anti-freeze.

Police say most of the victims were on low incomes, and had bought the alcohol cheaply to save money.

"There are one or two people on average dying in hospitals every week, but the flow of new patients stopped several weeks ago," Kadri Palta, a police spokeswoman, told Reuters news agency.

Huge market

The names of the suspects who have been charged have not been released.

The first cases began appearing in the seaside resort of Parnu on 9 September, but a second wave hit the neighbouring county of Laane three days later.

Some estimates say illegal alcohol accounts for between 40% and 60% of all alcohol sales in Estonia, a country likely to gain EU membership in 2004.

Consumption of bootleg alcohol is most common in the countryside, where there is widespread poverty and unemployment.