Bootleg Czech liquor sales halted

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PRAGUE, Czech Republic, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- The Czech Republic said it was banning sales of some alcoholic beverages after an outbreak of poisonings from bootleg liquor that left 19 people dead.

The government said sales of booze with an alcohol content above 20 percent would no longer be allowed, and they backed up the ban by arresting 20 people and seizing large volumes of knockoff liquor.

The BBC said the poisonings were being blamed on rum and vodka found to be tainted with methanol. Such liquors, sometimes bearing counterfeit labels, are commonly sold at outdoor markets and kiosks at bargain prices.

Another 30 customers were hospitalized after drinking tainted liquor.

Norway has donated several cases of an antidote to the poisonings to help stem the outbreak.