Russian dies after winning vodka-drinking contest

A vodka-drinking competition in a Russian town ended with the winner dead and the runners-up at the hospital! “The competition lasted 30, perhaps 40 minutes and the winner downed three half-litre bottles. He was taken home by taxi but died within 20 minutes,” said Roman Popov, a prosecutor pursuing the case in the town of Volgodonsk. The owner of the organizing shop was charged with manslaughter. I wonder if if the prize, 10 litres of vodka, will go to the runners-up now? I thought the United States drank a lot, but: “Russians drink the equivalent of 15 litres of pure alcohol per head annually, one of the highest rates in the world. Some experts estimate one in seven Russians is an alcoholic.”