34 reported dead, 100 in hospital after drinking toxic alcohol in India

At least 34 people have been confirmed dead with more than 100 hospitalized after drinking a batch of toxic illegal alcohol in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, state officials said on Thursday.

According to the Press Trust of India news agency quoting Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, the deadly mix of locally brewed arrack drink was laced with poisonous methanol.

Stalin said arrests have been made over the deaths and warned such crimes “ruin society and will be suppressed with an iron fist,” according to a statement from his office.

The Hindu Times also reports that hundreds of people die every year in India from cheap alcohol made in backstreet distilleries.

“In order to increase its potency the liquor is often spiked with methanol which can cause blindness, liver damage and death,” the tabloid said.

“In the Tamil Nadu case, more than 100 people were hospitalised according to M.S. Prasanth, top government official in the state’s Kallakurichi district say.”

The state governor, R.N. Ravi told reporters that he was “deeply shocked” at the deaths, adding that “many more victims are in serious condition battling for (their) lives.”

“The death toll in the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy rose to 34 with 25 more people losing their lives after consuming spurious liquor at Karunapuram in Kallakurichi on June 18, 2024,” the Hindu Times posted.

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