Siberia: Death toll in drinking body lotion rises to 58

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA

At least 58 people have died after drinking body lotion in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, the health ministry said Tuesday.

"As of 21:00 p.m. local time, the death toll from poisoning has reached 58 people," the ministry was quoted as saying by the official TASS news agency.

The ministry said more than 90 people were affected due to alcohol poisoning.

The Russia's Investigative Committee said Monday in a statement that although the bottles carried warnings against consumption, the lotion was drank like alcohol.

Following the incident, Mayor Dmitry Berdnikov declared a state of emergency in Irkutsk.

Berdnikov said the sale of all non-food alcohol-containing products was to be prohibited.