No fewer than 48 people have died after consuming suspected locally prepared alcoholic and herbal concoctions in Ondo State, with laboratory tests confirming high concentrations of methanol in samples collected from affected communities.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said 182 cases had been recorded as of September 17, with five people reportedly rendered completely blind and two others partially blind.

In an update signed by its Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, on Friday, the agency said the affected communities included Odigbo Town, Araromi-Obu, New Town, Odole, Okele, Orita Odigbo and Oniparaga in Odigbo Local Government Area. Cases were also reported in Irele Local Government Area.

According to NAFDAC, 90 affected persons had been admitted and discharged, six remained hospitalised, while 31 others were treated as outpatients.

The victims reportedly developed symptoms including headaches, general weakness and body pain, visual disturbances, difficulty breathing and altered consciousness. Some cases deteriorated rapidly.

NAFDAC said 15 people had so far been arrested in connection with the suspected production, sale and distribution of the implicated alcoholic and herbal beverages.

The agency said it subjected 15 unlabeled samples of the suspected concoctions to toxicological, microbiological and chemical analyses.

It said acute oral toxicity tests conducted on laboratory mice resulted in critical illness among the test animals, while about 50 per cent mortality was recorded in tests involving six of the 15 samples.

Chemical screening also detected Cannabis indica in 11 samples, while gas chromatography confirmed the presence of high concentrations of methanol.

NAFDAC said methanol is highly toxic and can cause severe poisoning, including blindness, organ failure and death. However, the agency stressed that the findings were preliminary and would require further confirmatory analyses.

It said additional tests were ongoing to determine the exact concentration of methanol and identify other possible toxic agents in the samples.

According to NAFDAC, the combination of mortality recorded in the animal toxicity tests and the confirmed presence of methanol strongly suggested that the samples posed a serious public health risk, warranting immediate regulatory intervention.

The agency commiserated with the families of those who died in the incident and said surveillance, case management, investigation and risk-control measures were ongoing.

NAFDAC added that the reported figures remained subject to verification as investigations continued.