Holiday wine in Philippines blamed for leaving nearly a dozen dead, 300 treated at hospital

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A festive coconut wine popular in the Philippines left 11 dead and more than 300 hospitalized after consuming the holiday drink, local officials said Monday.

The victims fell ill last week in Laguna and Quezon, two provinces south of Manila, after drinking the liquor, known as lambanog – which is made from coconut sap and can have an alcohol content as high as 40 percent, the BBC reported.

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Health officials said the drink is used for celebratory occasions and is in especially high demand during the Christmas season, Reuters reported.

People complained of stomach pains and dizziness after drinking lombanog, a popular coconut wine during the holidays, the BBC reported. (REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez)

“Some bought for leisure drinking and birthday party, while others were donated by local officials during their Christmas party,” the Department of Health said of those who fell ill.

All the liquor that made revelers sick originated from a single distillery, according to local reports.

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Fred Rey, the owner of the distillery that is believed to have produced the tainted drink, turned himself over to authorities Monday, local news outlet ABS-CBN reported. However, Rey was not arrested because his shop was legally operated, Rizal police chief Capt. Lindley Tibuc told the outlet.

The Department of Health was collecting blood tests and samples from leftover lambanog for analysis on Monday, according to reports.

Over 300 patients poisoned after drinking coconut wine were treated at hospitals. (REUTERS)

While it’s still unclear what exactly made the hundreds of people fall ill, Reuters reported that homebrew versions of lambanog are often made with dangerous additives like methanol, a toxic alcohol. The country’s Food and Drug Administration had previously prohibited the use of methanol in the drink.

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Last year, 21 people died from drinking lambanog, according to local media.