Toba Tek Singh: The death toll of people, mostly Christians, who have died after drinking toxic alcohol at Christmas in a city of the Pakistani Punjab, has risen to 49.
Rev. Julian Joseph, a prominent activist, visited the injured (about 100) still hospitalized in serious condition in the hospital in Toba Tek Singh, where the incident occurred.
He relayed the latest news to Ecumenical Commission for Human Development, according to which the alcohol poisoned by methanol came from the police station of the Christian town of Mubarakabad. "This fact - he says - poses many questions: why did the police have alcohol? And who brought it to the Christian village? ".
Most of the victims are Christians, but there are also some Muslims among them. Pakistan recently prohibited alcohol consumption. The only ones exempt from the prohibition are minorities and tourists, who can purchase liquor, wine and beer but only in authorized shops and with a permit. Given the extreme poverty of the population and close controls, often drinks are produced at home in the traditional way and may contain harmful substances such as methanol.
Rev. Julian Joseph reports that he brought comfort to the relatives of the victims. Many of them, about thirty, have already been buried and the coffins were provided by the Punjab government.
Several family members, shocked by the disaster, are still on the streets and praying for the departed souls. "May the Child Jesus – he says in conclusion - bless us all and get us through this tragedy."
Mr. James Rehmat, the General Secretary of the Ecumenical Commission for Human Development strongly condemned the incident and demanded immediate investigation is launched to determine the facts that led to such a high death tool and also identify those responsible for the incident.
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