A three-year-old girl from Pensulo-Wiso village in Shiwang’andu district, Muchinga Province, has died, and 26 others were hospitalized at Ilondola Mission Hospital after consuming poisonous local beer. The incident occurred on Monday night when several villagers drank the beer after clearing a field.
Ilondola Mission Hospital’s Sister-in-Charge, Cecilia Lwambo, confirmed the incident to ZANIS, noting that the victims included two pregnant women, eight children aged between four and six, and 16 adult men.
Village headman Albert Mwaba recounted the event to District Commissioner Maureen Bwembya, stating that Victoria Mulenga, the second wife of Davies Mwenya, had brewed the local beer, known as Involo, for the workers. Mulenga was the first to taste the beer and soon experienced diarrhea and vomiting, prompting her to warn her husband to stop drinking it. However, her husband ignored the warning and consumed three cups of the brew, sharing it with the children, including the deceased.
Despite being informed that the beer was unsafe, the workers insisted on drinking it, claiming it tasted fine. After consuming it, the children immediately began vomiting and experiencing diarrhea, leading to severe dehydration. A three-year-old child died while being transported to the hospital.
District Commissioner Maureen Bwembya urged the community to follow the government’s ban on brewing illicit beer and expressed concern over the number of intoxicated children. She emphasized that feeding children harmful substances is illegal and directed police and health officials to educate the community on the risks of consuming uncertified substances.
The child’s body is currently at Chinsali district mortuary, awaiting a postmortem and burial.
Source: ZT
