Poisoned rice wine killed two people and left four more in a critical condition in Pursat province’s Phnom Kravanh district at the weekend.

This incident came on the same day as a similar poisoning, that took place in Pursat’s Veal Veng district on Sunday, when three people died and five were hospitalised after drinking contaminated rice wine. However, the two events, although in the same province, are thought to be unrelated.

Phnom Kravanh district police chief Pich Sopheap confirmed that 23-year-old Mai Sina and 51-year-old Chorng Dy died on Sunday afternoon and four others were hospitalised after drinking rice wine before they went to work on a farm in the area.

“I think they put too much methanol in their wine to make it strong,” he said.

He said that there had been no steps taken to ban the sale of rice wine within the province, as he has yet to receive instruction from higher ranking authorities. Khlem Sokoun, director of the provincial health department, said he had trouble believing the pair had died from wine until he conducted initial tests.