Methanol-laced cider claims 18 lives in Russia.

At least 18 people have died and dozens more have fallen ill after drinking adulterated cider in western Russia's Ulyanovsk region. The cider contained lethal amounts of methanol, also known as methyl alcohol or wood alcohol, and is much more toxic than the ethanol found in regular alcoholic drinks. Authorities detained one person on suspicion of causing death through negligence and ordered the affected goods to be removed from sale. The consumption of homemade alcohol remains a problem in Russia despite tightened controls on the production and sale of alcohol after previous incidents of alcohol poisoning.