At least 49 people have died in the Siberian city of Irkutsk after drinking bath essence, Russian authorities say.
俄罗斯西伯利亚伊尔库茨克有不少人将含有甲醇的沐浴液喝下肚，至少49人不治身亡。
The hawthorn-scented liquid was consumed as if it were alcohol, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee.
据俄罗斯调查委员会称，这种沐浴产品有山楂气味，被当成酒喝下去了。
Several others are in a serious condition. Several people have been detained over the deaths and police are removing bottles from shops.
其他一些人的状况也很危险。有几人被拘留，当地警方也将这些产品下架。
Investigators said a warning that it should not be swallowed was ignored.
调查人员说，他们忽略了沐浴产品上的非饮品提示。
The product, called Boyaryshnik (Hawthorn), was found to contain methanol, a toxin found in antifreeze. A state of emergency has been declared in Irkutsk, and Russia’s top investigative agency opened an enquiry into the incident.
这种产品名叫 Boyaryshnik，山楂气味，其防冻剂中含有甲醇。伊尔库茨克市宣布进入紧急状态，俄罗斯最高调查机构也对此案展开了调查。
Police uncovered an illicit workshop where the lotion was being made, and arrested its owners.
警方查处了该沐浴产品的非法生产作坊，并逮捕了其老板。
Russian media reported that the victims were poor people, aged between 35 and 50, and were not drinking together.
俄罗斯媒体指出死者大多是年龄在35到50岁的穷人，他们并非一起喝下这个产品。
Household products are seen by some as a cheap alternative to alcohol across the former Soviet Union.
在前苏联，这种廉价的日用品被当成饮用酒的替代品饮用。
Two years of Western economic sanctions have made the situation worse, and analysts say up to 12 million Russians drink cheap surrogate alcohol, including perfume, after shave, anti-freeze and window cleaner.
长达2年的西方经济制裁让这种情况日益严重，分析人士指出，高达1200万俄罗斯人饮用便宜的含酒精产品，包括香水、修脸润肤露、防冻液和玻璃窗清洗剂，等等。
While poisoning from alcohol is common, this is one of the deadliest incidents in years. This, officials said, was because the ethyl alcohol which was normally present in this product had been replaced by methanol.
因此饮用者中毒的案例也常常发生，这起死亡事件只是近年来众多致命案例中的一例。因为这些替代品正常使用的成分应该是乙醇而不是有毒的甲醇。
A local official told Tass news agency that the liquid came in bottles whose labels said the content was 93% spirit.
一名当地官员告诉塔斯通讯社，装有这些液体的瓶子上的标签写着酒精含量93%。
President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman described the case as a "terrible tragedy".
俄罗斯总统普京的发言人表示这是一起“骇人听闻的悲剧”。
And Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told a cabinet meeting that authorities need to ban such substances quickly. "It’s an outrage, and we need to put an end to this," he said in televised remarks.
俄罗斯总理梅德韦杰夫在内阁会议中说，有关部门必须迅速禁止这类事情。他在电视演讲时说，“我们必须结束这种令人愤怒的事情。”
Last month, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Khloponin said medicines and perfumes accounted for up to 20% of the alcohol drunk in the country.
上个月，俄罗斯副总理亚历山大.霍波宁表示，该国20%的醉酒者与药品和香水有关。
责任编辑：李然
