Wedding party bootleg booze ‘kills 14 people’ and leaves four others critically ill

• Youngest victim at the party in the Indonesian town of Subang was 16, police say 

More than a dozen wedding guests have been killed and four left in a critical condition after drinking illegal bootleg alcohol at a celebration in Indonesia this weekend, according to reports.

The initial number of fatalities was said to be 11 but has since risen to 14, the Jakarta Globe reports citing police, with four people remaining in critical condition. 

The youngest victim at the party in the West Java town of Subang was 16, authorities have said. 

Police have confirmed one arrest in connection with the incident, while local media reports that a couple who were operating an unauthorized liquor store were arrested. 

In the wake of the event on Saturday, 18 partygoers were rushed to Subang district general hospital for ‘alcohol intoxication’, said hospital spokesman Wawan Gunawan.

Authorities destroy thousands of bottles of alcoholic beverages after they’ve been seized from illegal traders on March 31, 2022 (file image)

The victims died after buying the booze for the wedding party on Saturday, according to police. 

Their ages ranged from 16 to 45, police said, and most reportedly came from Sarireja Village in Jalancagak district.

Local reports suggest that villagers, outraged by the deaths, wrecked a shop they suspected sold the alcohol consumed at the event. 

The deaths are the latest in a string of fatalities caused by homemade booze.

In 2018, more than 60 Indonesians died from drinking cheap home-made alcohol with police conducting raids across the country to arrest more than half a dozen vendors, including one who mixed mosquito repellent into his concoction.

In 2016, 36 people died in Central Java after drinking locally-brewed alcohol.

Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population, and drinking alcohol is considered haram, or forbidden, in Islam.

Most people practice a moderate form of Islam and alcohol is available in big cities, but high taxes make it expensive and some people can turn to potentially dangerous home-made liquor. 

Two women break down after their received news that a family member has died from drinking illegal alcohol, at a hospital in Bandung, West Java province on April 9, 2018 (file image)

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