A major criminal investigation has been launched after a mass poisoning at a guesthouse in a Moscow suburb left at least three people dead and dozens more in hospital, with fears the death toll could rise.
Details of the Moscow Guesthouse Incident
The incident occurred at a boarding house in Vidnoye, an area on the outskirts of the Russian capital. According to local media reports, 73 people were staying at the facility at the time of the poisoning. More than 40 individuals required hospitalisation with varying degrees of severity, and tragically, three guests have died.
In response, the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee for the Moscow Region has initiated a criminal case. A statement confirmed that investigators and forensic experts have inspected the premises, seized necessary documentation, and collected samples of food and kitchen utensils for analysis.
Ongoing Investigation and International Echoes
Representatives from Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's consumer rights and wellbeing watchdog, have also taken food samples for detailed laboratory testing. The investigative committee stated that it is working to understand the full circumstances and motivation behind the incident.
This shocking event near Moscow draws unsettling parallels to a mass poisoning case in Laos last year. In that incident, at least six tourists, including a 28-year-old British lawyer named Simone White and an Australian teenager, died from suspected methanol poisoning after consuming tainted alcohol. American and Danish tourists were also among the victims.
Potential Causes and Public Safety Concerns
While the cause of the Moscow poisoning remains undetermined pending test results, the Laos case highlighted the dangers of methanol contamination. Methanol is a toxic substance sometimes illicitly added to drinks as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, but it can cause severe poisoning, blindness, or death.
Russian authorities are currently interviewing the guesthouse management and guests as part of their probe. The priority is to establish the exact source of the contamination and prevent any further harm, with the situation being closely monitored as some of those hospitalised remain in a serious condition.
