KIEV, Ukraine (January 4, 2000 11:08 a.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - Sixty people died of alcohol-related problems in just one Ukrainian region over the New Year's holiday, officials said Tuesday.

On Jan. 1, 2000, 32 people died of excessive alcohol consumption in Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. That number rose to 60 people the next day, the regional branch of the Interior Ministry said.

The four-day New Year's break is seen as the most important holiday of the year in Ukraine and elsewhere in the former Soviet Union. Many people use the occasion to drink alcohol for several days straight.

There were no immediate reports of alcohol-related deaths in other areas of Ukraine during the holidays, which ran through Jan. 4, but the final death toll from drinking too much alcohol was expected to be high.

Meanwhile, more than 20 fire accidents were reported in the capital, Kiev, during the holidays, leaving four people dead and another five injured, the Interfax news agency reported.

Many of the accidents were caused by homemade and shoddy fireworks, according to the report. Low-quality fireworks are easily available at street markets in the former Soviet republic around the New Year.

P.S. The Crimea region is a small part geographically of Ukraine and only contains a fraction of the countries population.

-- Guy Daley (guydaley@bwn.net), January 04, 2000

Answers

Wouldn't it be interesting to see a footnote stating that the other deaths were actually both fire AND alcohol related. You know, shoot a bottle rocket at some dude trimmed up in beaver fur with vodka- saturated skin and ~POOF~ oh, that was mean, I'm sorry...I'm so ashamed of myself. ;-}

(Snapple is as rowdy as I get...)

-- Jinny (seventyX7@att.net), January 04, 2000.