Cuba: 11 dead, 40 sickened by rum made with toxic alcohol

At least 11 people have died and 40 have been hospitalized in Cuba after drinking toxic methyl alcohol sold as rum, public health officials say. Health officials said the first cases of illness appeared Monday, with the victims suffering symptoms of poisoning from methanol, commonly used in fuel, the BBC reported. Cuban state television said some of the victims had been temporarily blinded after drinking black market rum brewed with the methyl alcohol, CNN reported. Most of the patients were recovering, although many still suffer from dizziness, said Dr. Efren Acosta. The methyl alcohol was stolen by two employees of the Cuban Institute of Pharmacy and Food, the public safety office said. The liquid was given to a woman who used it to brew a product she sold in her neighborhood.