Costa Rica on alert after 19 die from tainted alcohol

Alcohol tainted with potentially toxic levels of methanol has killed 19 people in Costa Rica, where authorities issued an alert against drinking some half-dozen brands. The Ministry of Health issued the national warning Friday while also updating the death toll. Of 34 people who have been poisoned, 14 men and five women, age 32 to 72, have died since the first week of June, the ministry said. Authorities warned that it was not known how much alcohol had been adulterated, but have confiscated som