The death toll has climbed to 54 from consump-tion of tainted liquor in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu, with more than 100 people still in hospital, a government official said on Saturday.
Nearly 200 people have been treated since Wednesday for vomiting, stomach aches and diar-rhoea, after drinking liquor spiked with methanol in the district of Kallakurichi, about 250 kilometres from Chennai, the state capital.
Law enforcement officials investigating the in-cident have arrested seven people, said MS Pras-anth, a senior district official, adding that follow-up action was being taken against liquor sellers and brewers in the district.
Deaths from illegally produced alcohol, often called country liquor, are a regular occurrence in India, where few can afford branded spirits, despite public demands for a crackdown on the vendors. The state government said it was taking steps to identify those involved in the production of methanol, a toxic chemical normally used for industrial purposes. Videos from ANI and local media showed state ministers and opposition leaders making a beeline to the district to meet the victims.—Agencies
