260 People in Bwisige Sector, Gicumbi District, were last Sunday affected by homemade sorghum beer known as ikigage. An 8-year-old boy died while 66 others were immediately hospitalized, police told The New Times. CIP Hamdun Twizeyimana, Northern Province Police Spokesperson, said that the incident occurred at a wedding ceremony. According to health officials, after drinking the beer, many started vomiting and others developed diarrhoea. “Until now, we cannot determine what contaminated the beer, we have taken samples to Rwanda Investigation Bureau for analysis, but we think it was due to poor hygiene. Many people brought jerry cans of that beer and poured it in one traditional container (pot)” said Twizeyimana. He called on people to be careful when drinking such homemade brews, especially in ceremonies where they do not know the origin and standard of the products. Police stated that identifying the people who brewed the beer is not easy as it was drawn from diffferent households. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
