- At least 36 people have died after drinking illegally produced alcohol in India
- The drink was contaminated with methanol.
- More than 100 people in Tamil Nadu are receiving treatment
At least 36 people died and more than 60 were treated in hospitals after consuming tainted liquor in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, a government spokesman said Thursday.
Since Wednesday, more than 100 people, suffering from vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhea, have required hospital treatment in Kallakurichi district, 240 kilometers by road from the state capital, Chennai, the spokesperson said.
The state government said it had taken disciplinary action against at least 10 officials, including the district’s chief administrator and police chief.
“I was shocked and saddened to hear the news… Action has also been taken against the officials who failed to prevent it,” Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said in a post on X.
At least 36 people died and more than 60 were treated in hospitals after consuming contaminated liquor in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Deaths from illegally produced alcohol, known locally as ‘hooch’ or ‘country liquor’, are common in India.
State chief minister MK Stalin (pictured) said all 36 people died after consuming alcohol contaminated with methanol.
Police arrested four people for deaths caused by illegally produced alcohol, known locally as ‘hooch’ or ‘country liquor’, a common occurrence in India for the sale of illicit liquor and confiscated 200 liters of the alcoholic beverage mixed with methanol, the state government said.
Deaths from illegally produced alcohol, known locally as ‘hooch’ or ‘country liquor’, are a common occurrence in India, where many cannot afford branded spirits.
The Tamil Nadu government said it was also taking steps to identify people involved in the production of methanol, a toxic chemical normally used for industrial purposes.
One video showed health officials taking patients in ambulances to a hospital, while another shot showed several people standing outside a morgue in Kallakurichi.
More than a dozen people were killed last year in a similar incident in a nearby district of Tamil Nadu.