Alcohol kills 2.5 million a year: World Health Organization

A World Health Organization (WHO) report, profiling 193 countries on alcohol controls, has concluded that alcohol approximately kills 2.5 million people in a year.

The report also indicated that young people were especially vulnerable to its harms, reports English.news.cn.

"One third of deaths (from alcohol) are among young people," said Shekhar Saxena, director of the WHO's Mental Health and Substance Abuse department.

He added that alcohol is responsible for 9% of all deaths that occurred to people aged between 15 and 29.

"Alcohol is also a causal factor in 60 types of diseases and injuries," said the WHO expert.

Saxena added that alcohol consumption might lead to liver cirrhosis, epilepsy, poisonings, and mental disturbance, which very often cause road accident or violent behavior.