At least 48 people have died after consuming a drink in southern Nigeria’s Ondo state

ABUJA, Nigeria -- At least 48 people have died and around 100 others are receiving treatment in southern Nigeria after consuming a drink suspected to contain methanol, officials said on Thursday.

Banji Ajaka, Ondo state's commissioner for health, said the cases had been reported in the Odigbo and Irele local government areas. A total of 182 people are believed to have been affected, he said.

“This thing happened rapidly. Once they consume, depending on the quantity, the kidneys will pack up, the eyes will go, the brain will be damaged,” Ajaka told The Associated Press.

Some of those who became ill after consuming the liquid have since been discharged from hospital, he added.

Ondo state police spokesman Abayomi Jimoh said one of 15 people who have been arrested in connection with the incident had been producing drink “suspected to contain methanol and is currently assisting the police with investigations.”

Local media reports said the first death was reported nearly two weeks ago.

Drinking locally made alcohol is common in Africa’s most populous country, especially in Nigeria's rural areas where it is more affordable.

The country’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control is currently enforcing a nationwide ban on alcohol in sachets and small plastic containers, which it said are easily accessible to children and young people.

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