On December 16, 2025, in Yunxi County, Hubei Province, several employees of a privately-owned company mistakenly consumed industrial alcohol as liquor during a meal last month, resulting in three of them suffering severe methanol poisoning. As of December 15, one person has been pronounced dead, another brain dead, and one person is still undergoing treatment.
According to the Yunxi County police in Shiyan City, Hubei Province, on the evening of December 15, three employees of the privately-owned company Sifeng Industrial Co., Ltd. had dinner together at a dumpling restaurant after work on the night of November 21 and were hospitalized for poisoning.
It was reported that a cafeteria staff member named Hu mistakenly provided industrial alcohol, which was intended for cooking fuel, as liquor to the three individuals. Following the incident, Hu has been taken into custody.
One family member, referred to as Zhang Yun, shared with the media that her husband, Li, who is 50 years old, finished a sudden overtime shift on the night of November 21. Li then dined with four colleagues near the factory at a dumpling restaurant.
“The cafeteria usually provides liquor. They took more than a pound of alcohol from the cafeteria, which was poured into plastic bottles. While dining, two people did not drink, while Li and two others finished the alcohol,” Zhang Yun said. Li went home to sleep after dinner and didn’t go to work the next day. In the early hours of the 23rd, Li suddenly felt unwell, with blurred vision, prompting both to go to the hospital.
Medical tests revealed an abnormal indicator. In the afternoon of the same day, another worker who dined with them also showed the same abnormal indicator. Upon seeing the two cases, doctors suspected methanol poisoning.
Zhang Yun mentioned that the treatment continued until dawn, and due to the severity of the condition, Li was transferred to Taihe Hospital in Shiyan City on the morning of the 23rd. “One person has already passed away, my husband is brain dead, and another person is still unconscious. The doctor said there was no need to continue treatment and asked us to take care of the arrangements as soon as possible.”
Examination results showed that Li’s blood methanol level on November 25 was still as high as 41.33 mmol/L, while the normal value should be less than 0.0156.
According to information Zhang Yun obtained from the police, the accident occurred because “some industrial alcohol brought in from an auto parts factory cafeteria was mistakenly served as liquor to Li and others by the staff.”
In response, the company involved stated that the cafeteria does not sell alcohol, and the cafeteria contractor claimed it was brought in by a relative. The company has already provided over four hundred thousand yuan for medical expenses.