Indian security forces reported this Thursday that 63 people have already died from poisoning due to the consumption of adulterated home-made alcohol in a city in the state of Tamil Nadu, in the south of the country.
Likewise, they have indicated that another 91 are currently admitted to the Kallakurichi hospital due to ingesting this drink, while another twenty have been discharged after managing to recover, according to information collected by the television network NDTV.
The Police have so far arrested five people, including someone allegedly involved in the smuggling of this alcoholic beverage, identified by the mother of one of the deceased as arrack, distilled from coconut or fermented sugar cane, typical of several Southeast Asian countries.
Hundreds of people die every year in India due to the consumption of adulterated alcohol, although this case is one of the deadliest in recent years. This drink is cheaper than the commercially produced one, but it can cause poisoning, which has led the authorities to carry out various operations to try to dismantle these production and smuggling networks.
The sale and consumption of liquor is banned in other parts of India, further fueling the thriving black market for illegal liquor. To increase their potency, these drinks often include methanol, which can cause blindness, liver damage, and even death.
