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Golden Jubilee Celebrations in Maputo,
Mozambique on July 19, 2007 (Source: Unknown; ismailimail.wordpress.com)
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A
total 69 people have died of poisoning after drinking traditional beer in north-western
Mozambique, public radio reported Monday.
AFP reports more
than 30 others remain hospitalized after funeral-goers apparently ingested the
home-brewed beer known locally as "phombe". It is usually made from
millet or sorghum.
The
woman who brewed the beer and several members of her family are among the dead,
making it difficult for investigators to ascertain what could have contaminated
the beer.
Carla
Mosse, director of health for Tete province, said the cause of the poisoning is
still unknown.
Some
local media believe the beer was laced with crocodile bile, a powerful toxin,
but that claim has not been proved.
Mozambique's
government has declared three days of national mourning.
Burials of the victims
began on Sunday and are being speeded up as the local morgue cannot cope with
the huge number of bodies.
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