 |
At least 133 people have died and more than 200 others have been hospitalized after consuming tainted alcohol in India, officials said.
The victims consumed unregulated moonshine, known locally as “country-made liquor.”
Police arrested 10 people and are questioning others suspected of being involved in the supply of liquor in the area, said Mukesh Agarwal, a senior police official in Golaghat district in northeastern Assam state.
The first cases, reported Thursday evening, indicated most victims were tea garden workers, said Manoj Baruah, an official in Jorhat, the other district where cases were reported.
“It is a case of alcohol poisoning, and it has affected a few tea gardens and villages surrounding them in this district,” said Partha Pratim Saikia, a senior police official in Assam.
Also Read:
The incident is the latest in India’s long battle to control fake or
illegal alcohol, which is affordable and readily available to many
impoverished people.Eighty people died in February in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand states after drinking illegal homemade brew. Eight people were arrested as part of a police investigation into that poisoning, and about 400 liters (105 gallons) of illicit booze was seized.
Homemade alcohol is typically brewed in villages before being smuggled into cities, where it sells for about 10 cents a glass about a third the price of legally brewed liquor.
Illegal liquor can be deadly “when other liquids like rubbing alcohol or methanol are added to the distilled spirit,” enabling sellers to increase the amount of liquid and its potential potency, according to SafeProof, a group that lobbies against counterfeit alcohol.
Country-made liquor often contains toxic methanol, which can make people feel inebriated. However, even a very small amount can be toxic. Methanol poisoning can cause confusion, dizziness, drowsiness, headaches and the inability to coordinate muscle movements.