31 dead in India after consuming toxic, illegally produced alcohol

Indian authorities confirmed on Thursday that at least 22 people have died as a result of toxic alcohol consumption while several have been hospitalized in the area of Bihar where the sale and consumption of liquor are banned.     

In the latest incident, the Saran district witnessed cases of people vomiting on Tuesday before their situation worsened. Three died on their way to the hospital while others died while being treated as local media reports record the death toll at 31.    

Hospital chief Sagar Dulal Sinha relayed that 22 post-mortem examinations were performed, and senior police officer Santosh Kumar asserted to AFP that authorities located and raided illegal alcohol shops in the region. "We have arrested over a dozen liquor traders and detained some others," Kumar said.

Approximately 40% percent of alcohol in the country is illegally produced, part of the almost five billion liters of alcohol people consume every year, according to the International Spirits and Wine Association of India. The reason why it is toxic is that it contains methanol as a way to increase its potency, which if consumed, can cause blindness, liver damage, and death.    

Back in July in a similar incident, 42 people perished in the state of Gujarat after drinking bootleg alcohol, as opposed to last year when around 100 people died in the state of Punjab for the same reasons.