Fourteen people have died in eastern Cameroon after consuming a locally brewed liquor, State broadcaster, the Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV), reported.

CRTV said the victims had consumed a drink known locally as odontol.

The residents of seven villages in the municipality of Mindoro, reportedly consumed the liquor after they returned from their farms.

The liver

The eastern Cameroon public health officer, Dr Robert Mathurin Bidjang, said two other people who took the drink were in ‘a critical condition’ at a local government hospital.

He said medical examination showed that the liquor contained a component that attacks the liver and makes the victim lose sight and consciousness.

A team of community workers was mobilised to continue the search for any other people who may have consumed the lethal drink.

People died

The government of Cameroon has been sensitising communities on the dangers of odontol, which was widely consumed in many areas.

About 20 people died in Yaoundé after consuming odontol in 1997, according reports.