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Toxic alcohol kills over 40 people in India
Toxic bootleg alcohol has resulted in the death of 42 people in India and left more than 50 others in critical condition.
The death toll of this latest poisoning by illegally-made alcohol in India is expected to rise
Police in Northern India have said that a batch of illegally-made alcohol has poisoned and killed at least 42 people, mostly labourers, and made many more seriously ill.
It is thought that the victims had bought the liquor from Adampur, in the Azamgarh district, in India’s Uttar Pradesh state.
Officials told the Associated Press that the toxic substance had been purchased from a local store and that the shopkeeper’s son was among the dead.
The victims, who had been celebrating a religious festival, were taken to a local hospital soon after consuming the alcohol last week, but many did not survive.
Fatalities are expected to rise over the next few days as the conditions of those being treated in hospital worsen.
An investigation into the incident has been launched, with a number of Indian officials and police being reportedly suspended.
The Associated Press was told that around 30 people have already been arrested as part of the investigation, including the shopkeeper who sold the liquor.
Deaths from drinking illegally-brewed alcohol are common in rural parts of India since licenced products are seen as more costly in poor communities.
Illicit alcohol, known as “country liquor”, or “sharab”, is often spiked with chemicals such as methanol to increase potency.
Two years ago the state of Gujarat implemented the death sentence for those convicted of producing lethal illegal alcohol. The law was introduced following the death of 157 people who consumed bootleg alcohol in the city of Ahmedabad in 2009.
Recently, industry sources in Malaysia have said that smuggled, counterfeit and unregulated alcohol costs the government US$78 million a year in lost taxes.
Similarly, UK Revenue and Customs speculated that the illicit wine market might have cost the government up to £700 million in lost revenue.