Illegal alcohol kills 24 in Pakistan
The death toll from consuming illegally made alcohol in Pakistan has reached at least 24, police reports have confirmed.
At least 24 people have died from drinking illegal alcohol in PakistanSeveral victims remain in hospital following the incident, which took place on Monday in Sindh province, and at least two of the confirmed dead were women.
Reports also detailed the majority of victims were from the country’s Hindu minority, though some were Muslims.
In Pakistan, Muslims are prohibited from buying alcohol and Hindus need a permit to buy booze.
Rustam Wani, local police chief, told the BBC “around 30 people passed our after drinking at an illegal winery in Karimabad aera” of Tando Mohammad Khan on Monday night.
He added: “They were taken to hospital in town and some were shifted to another hospital in Hyderabad city.”
Police have detained four people, but the suspect thought to be responsible for distilling the illicit alcohol escaped.
Pakistan is no stranger to toxic alcohol tragedies. In 2014, 17 people died from consuming bootleg booze, while later that same year police and excise department officials were allegedly “involved” in the illicit sales of liquor in the city of Karachi, Pakistan, which left 32 dead.
