At least 27 killed in Indian state from toxic alcohol
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Alcohol is banned in the eastern state of Bihar where the incident occurred.
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Homemade alcohol containers hang from a train window at Parsa Bazar railway station in Bihar on December 15, 2022. (Reuters)
According to officials, toxic alcohol has killed at least 27 people in Bihar, India, where alcohol is prohibited, with unverified estimates placing the death toll at 40.
Liquor sale and use are illegal in many regions of India, fueling a large illicit market for powerful and sometimes dangerous backstreet substances that kill hundreds each year. Initial examinations into the latest incident revealed that lethal methyl alcohol was combined with the fatal spirit.
Jitender Kumar, a police official, told AFP that 27 people have died since Saturday.
Kumar stated that most of the fatalities came from impoverished households that drank a locally created inexpensive drink known as "Desi Daru."
Over the previous three days, police have detained 174 persons in connection with the unlawful manufacture, sale, and supply of liquor.
During raids, they also confiscated and destroyed approximately 900 liters (240 gallons) of hazardous liquor.
Local police have been utilizing drones, helicopters, and motorboats to combat the illegal market, but this is just the latest in a series of similar tragic incidents.
In December, 37 people were killed after consuming toxic alcohol.
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.
