According to officials, at least 34 individuals have perished in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu as a result of drinking poisonous bootleg wine.
The event happened in the Kallakuruchi district on Tuesday night when a number of locals became ill after drinking alcohol.
Officials fear there could be more deaths as at least 80 people are being treatment in hospitals for ailments like severe diarrhea.
An extensive investigation is currently underway, with two people already under arrest.
A top police official and ten personnel of the state’s prohibition enforcement wing, which oversees the smuggling of illegal alcohol into the state, have also been suspended by authorities for negligence.
Every year, dozens of Indians pass away from drinking illicit alcohol obtained from run-down distilleries.
To make their combination stronger, bootleggers frequently add methanol—a extremely deadly type of alcohol that is occasionally used as an anti-freeze—to it.
Methanol can be fatal, damage the liver, and cause blindness even in little doses.
According to The News Minute website, the accused in Kallakuruchi purportedly distributed the mixture in packets through a local seller.
The alcohol-consuming individuals were taken to the hospital after exhibiting symptoms such as headaches, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and eye irritation.
The families of the deceased will receive 1 million rupees ($12,000; £9,425) in compensation, while the hospitalized individuals will receive 50,000 rupees each, according to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.
However, opposition parties have criticized the administration for not doing enough to reduce the state’s supply of harmful alcohol.
