At least 34 people have died after consuming toxic bootleg alcohol in Tamil Nadu, southern India, officials reported.
The incident occurred in Kallakuruchi district, where numerous residents fell ill after drinking the tainted liquor on Tuesday night.
Currently, at least 80 people are receiving treatment in hospitals for conditions such as severe diarrhea, and officials fear the death toll could increase.
Two individuals have been arrested, and a broader investigation is underway.
Authorities have suspended a senior police officer and ten members of the state’s prohibition enforcement wing, responsible for curbing illicit alcohol smuggling, for negligence.
Each year in India, numerous fatalities occur due to the consumption of bootleg alcohol from illegal distilleries.
Bootleggers often add methanol, a highly toxic form of alcohol sometimes used as antifreeze, to their brews to increase potency. Even small amounts of methanol can cause blindness, liver damage, and death.
In Kallakuruchi, the accused reportedly sold the toxic mixture in packets through a local vendor, according to The News Minute.
Victims experienced symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, vomiting, nausea, stomach pain, and eye irritation and were subsequently hospitalized.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has announced compensation of 1 million rupees ($12,000; £9,425) for the families of the deceased and 50,000 rupees for those hospitalized.
He stated on X (formerly Twitter), “Those involved in the crime have been arrested. Action has also been taken against the officials who failed to prevent it.”
Opposition parties have criticized the government for failing to control the spread of toxic alcohol.
K Annamalai, the state chief of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said, “The deaths caused by illicit liquor in the past two years under the DMK [Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam] regime have decelerated Tamil Nadu by four decades, taking us back to the 1980s.”
He demanded the resignation of the minister overseeing alcohol sales.
Source-BBC
