Russia bans Czech alcohol following deaths

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MOSCOW, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- Russian officials told customs agents to stop the import of strong alcohol from the Czech Republic following reports of 23 deaths there.

The order came from the consumer watchdog agency Rospotrebnadzor.

"We have circulated the instruction among the customs offices," Rospotrebnadzor head Gennady Onishchenko told ITAR-Tass. "The ban is applicable to strong alcohol from that country."

Rospotrebnadzor is also considering banning strong alcohol from Poland and Slovakia, the report said.

In the past two weeks, 23 people have died in the Czech Republic of poisoning after consuming alcohol that contained methenol.

The Czech Republic banned exports of alcohol and tightened controls on its production while authorities investigate the poisonings.