Mongolia targets distillery after moonshine kills 13

ULAN BATOR, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Mongolian police have uncovered an illegal vodka distillery in the capital Ulan Bator days after at least 13 people died and dozens were made sick by tainted alcohol, a newspaper said.

The distillery, whose licence was halted two years ago, was found making vodka which was believed responsible for the deaths, the UB Post said on its Web site.

"Also found were 200 litres of chemicals used in producing vodka, fake covers and print labels," the newspaper said.

Alcoholism is rife in Mongolia, a vast, windswept country sandwiched between China and Russia, which was run for much of the last century as a one-party Soviet satellite.

"The small room where this business was conducted was horrible, small, and had a terrible stench. A container used for mixing chemicals was unclean. There were no safety or hygienic standards at all," it added, quoting a police officer.

Last week, two additional deaths were reported due to tainted vodka that killed eleven people on New Year's Eve. More than 60 people were in hospital suffering from poisoning.

(Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)