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MAPUTO. – Mozambique’s government has declared three days of mourning after 69 people died from drinking contaminated traditional beer at a funeral over the weekend.

Paulo Bernando, director for health in north-east Tete province, said 196 others have been admitted to hospitals.

“People flocked to the hospital, suffering from diarrhoea and muscle pain,” Bernando told Radio Mozambique.

The government issued a statement on Sunday night to declare the three days of mourning. District health officials on Sunday evening had put the death toll at 56, with 49 hospitalised.

Pombe, a traditional Mozambican beer, is made from millet or maize flour.

The exact source of the contamination is still unknown, but authorities believe the drink was poisoned with crocodile bile during the course of a funeral on Saturday.

The woman, who was in charge of brewing the beer, also died from poisoning.

Blood and traditional beer samples were sent to the capital Maputo to be tested, said provincial health director Carle Mosse.

“We are waiting for the results of the tests of the samples being done at Maputo Central Hospital so that we can identify the type of the product put into the drink,” said Mosse. – The Guardian.