More than a HUNDRED people die in agony from drinking ‘tainted’ homemade alcohol after funeral
Deaths from illegally-produced alcohol, known locally as 'hooch' are a regular occurrence in India - but this is thought to be the worst outbreak since 2011
MORE than 100 people have died in agony in two Indian states from bootleg alcohol after a funeral, police have said.
It's believed the bootleg alcohol was tainted with methanol with many affected by the outbreak complaining of stomach pains and respiratory problems, relatives and officials said.
Local media reports that the alcohol was first drunk at a funeral in Uttarakhand before people from Saharanpur in the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh brought it home and sold it to others.
Postmortems found that the liquor contained methanol, commonly called wood alcohol, a chemical that attacks the central nervous system.
According to , Saharanpur District Magistrate Alok Kumar Pandey in Uttar Pradesh said: "A man called Pintu came back with 30 pouches and sold them. One or two pouches have been recovered and anyone who drank from those pouches is also dead or in hospital."
According to , eight suspected bootleggers have been held by police while 35 officials - including 12 police officers - have been suspended by the provincial governments.
Officials in Haridwar said there are currently 36 casualties with 18 people are undergoing treatment.
Officials in Uttar Pradesh could not be reached for latest casualty figures on Monday, but at least 69 people have died in the state, according to newspapers Indian Express and Times of India.
Deaths from illegally-produced alcohol, known locally as "hooch" or "country liquor", are a regular occurrence in India, where many cannot afford branded spirits.
But the current death toll is believed to be the deadliest outbreak since a similar case killed 172 in West Bengal in 2011.
The wife of one victim, Hira Lal, told Reuters partner ANI: "He complained of severe stomach ache, so I took him to get an injection."
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"He was better then and slept after coming back home.
(But) the pain resumed, so we took him to the hospital again and they admitted him."
Saharanpur district Magistrate Pandey, said last week that doctors had concluded many victims died "due to liver infection and problems in their respiratory system".
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