Illegal alcohol kills 42 people in India

Over 40 people have been killed and a similar number are being treated in hospital after drinking illegally made alcohol during the Hindu Dussehra religious festival in northern India.

A police officer with pouches of illegal alcohol that were sold in India last week

Officials said that 32 people died last week after drinking the alcohol and that a further 10 died over the weekend. It is thought that the death toll will rise further as some of those in hospital are “seriously ill”.

BB Singh, the chief medical office in Azamgarh, told the BBC: “At least 42 people have died in hospitals but we expect the toll to be higher since many bodies have been cremated by families without informing the police or the medical authorities.”

Police officer Arvind Sen told Associated Press tainted liquor was sold in pouches by a shop in Adampur village, 180 miles south-east of the city of Lucknow, the state capital.

The victims immediately started to fall sick and were taken to be treated at local hospitals. By Friday night, 32 were reported to have died, including a son of the shopkeeper who had sold the liquor. A number of those being treated in hospital have reportedly lost their sight.

Police have arrested 12 people in connection with the supply of the alcohol, which was spiked with excessive chemicals making it poisonous. Six policemen and five state excise officers have also been suspended by the state government.