Authorities in Costa Rica have issued a national alert after 19 people died from consuming tainted alcohol. Officials say that 34 people have been poisoned since June and have launched an investigation into how the bottles were tampered with. They confiscated 30,000 bottles of alcohol, and have cautioned people to avoid several brands after testing found they contained high levels of methanol.
The victims were all locals and included homeless people and alcoholics. While no tourists have become ill from drinking the adulterated liquor, officials are warning people to avoid six brands of cheap alcohol. They have also asked stores to stop selling the bottles because it is impossible to distinguish the tainted bottles from unadulterated ones.
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