ULAN BATOR,
Mongolia (AP) -- Shops are closed and celebrations are banned in a
district of Mongolia's capital city where at least 11 people died and
another 21 were hospitalized New year's Eve for drinking tainted vodka.
A spokesman from the governor's office in Ulan Bator said tests
show the vodka was made with methanol spirits normally used for nonfood
purposes like cleaning.
New Year's Day is a holiday in Mongolia, which is a largely poor, landlocked nation sandwiched between China and Russia.
Consumption of vodka to celebrate the New Year is a holdover
tradition from the days when Mongolia was a satellite of the Soviet
Union.
