In Paraguay 14 die after drinking doctored liquor

ASUNCION, Paraguay, Dec 2 (Reuters) Sugar-cane liquor tainted with methanol killed 14 people in a Paraguayan town, the country's health minister said today.

Health Minister Oscar Martinez said laboratory tests confirmed the presence of the toxic chemical, often used industrially, in the hooch, which investigators suspect was sold on the black market.

''Fourteen people have already died, people who consumed this product,'' Martinez told a local television station.

The deaths occurred in the small town of Tobati in the Cordillera region, about 50 miles east of the capital, Asuncion.

The intoxication comes just days before thousands of Paraguayans travel to the area to honor the South American country's patron saint, the virgin of Caacupe.

REUTERS PB BST0016