Canada Global (Web News) According to authorities, at least 22 people in India have died after consuming hazardous alcohol, and numerous others have been admitted to hospitals.
The deaths mostly occurred in two villages in the eastern state of Bihar, where it is illegal to sell and use alcohol.
Several Indian states have such bans in place, fueling a thriving black market for cheap alcohol produced in unregulated backstreet distilleries, which kills hundreds of people each year.
Men in the Saran district started vomiting on Tuesday before their condition deteriorated.
Three died on the way to the hospital and others died while being treated on Wednesday and Thursday, with local media reports putting the toll at 31.
So far, 22 post-mortem examinations have been performed, according to hospital chief Sagar Dulal Sinha.
Santosh Kumar, a senior police officer, said authorities had cracked down on illegal alcohol shops in the area.
“We’ve arrested over a dozen liquor dealers and detained a few more,” Kumar said.
Of the estimated five billion litres of alcohol drunk every year in the country, around 40% is illegally produced, according to the International Spirits and Wine Association of India.
