In the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, eighteen individuals have died as a result of alcohol poisoning.

The victims were offered methanol-laced alcohol between October 7 and 14, which is hazardous and typically used for industrial purposes.

Two persons have been arrested in connection with the deaths, according to Russia's Investigative Committee.

According to the Russian TASS news agency, the suspects are local citizens born in 1978 and 1967, according to Valery Gorelykh, a spokesman for the Russian Interior Ministry's branch for the Sverdlovsk region.

"Police officers are looking into the suspects' connections and into how long they had been involved in illegal business," he said, adding, "They are also establishing the exact number of victims."

If proven guilty of negligently selling harmful products that resulted in the deaths of two or more individuals, the suspects might face up to ten years in prison.

It comes after an investigation into the sale of illegal alcohol in southwest Russia was launched last week.

The catastrophe claimed the lives of 34 persons.

In 2016, 77 individuals perished in Siberia after ingesting methylated spirit-laced bath oil.