Don't Drink The ... Cologne

Four people died and 10 were hospitalized in critical condition after drinking cologne containing methanol, the Okaz daily newspaper reported Thursday.

The four--a Saudi, two Nigerians and a Malian, died instantly after drinking the methanol-laced cologne, the paper said. Alcohol is banned in the conservative Muslim kingdom, where some people drink cologne as a substitute.

Methanol is a poisonous substance normally used as an antifreeze.

Okaz did not say when the deaths occurred, but quoted unidentified sources as saying the death toll was expected to rise.

Police have arrested an unspecified number of people on suspicion of selling the cologne, the newspaper reported. Officials were not available for comment Thursday, the start of the weekend in the kingdom.

Consuming and dealing in alcohol in conservative Muslim Saudi Arabia is punished by lashings, fines and prison terms.