Twelve die in Kenya after drinking illegal brew

NAIROBI, Kenya (Reuters) -- At least 12 people died and many others may have lost their sight after drinking illegal spirits at a slum in Nairobi, Kenya Television Network reported.

KTN said on Wednesday the death toll was expected to rise as some drinkers may have died in their sleep hours after consuming the illicit brew -- known locally as chang'aa -- on Tuesday.

Residents of the slum awoke to find the bodies of at least two men lying in gutters near the shebeen where they had been drinking. KTN said authorities summoned to the area collected the bodies of at least 10 other people -- including one woman.

Nairobi's slums are packed with the illegal drinking dens -- mainly run by elderly widows who compete for customers with the intensity of their brew, sometimes adding raw ethanol to give it an extra kick.

But pure alcohol is poisonous, leading to blindness -- hence the expression "blind drunk" -- or even death.

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