Libya: Toxic Hooch Kills 60 And Makes 700 Ill

At least 60 people have been killed and 700 made ill in the Libyan capital by a batch of poisonous homemade liquor.

The scale of the alcohol poisoning is so great that hospitals in Tripoli have been overstretched with patients and some of the victims have had to be sent to clinics in other parts of the country for treatment.

The homemade brew, known locally as Boukha, has been laced with methanol, according to the country's Health Minister Nurideen Doghman.

He said that at least 60 people had died. On Monday, the Health Ministry said that it had registered 51 deaths and 378 cases of poisoning, mainly in the capital.

Colonel Mahmoud Sharif said: "There have more 709 cases of alcohol poisoning.

"This includes 10 women - both Libyan and from other Arab states," he said.

"Six people have been arrested, and an investigation is under way. Two others are believed to be on the run and their names have been given to border officials."

The consumption and sale of alcohol is banned in the North African country, but it is available on the black market.

Libya has seen a significant increase in drug and alcohol trafficking since the dictator Muammar Gaddafi was ousted from power in 2011.