No fewer than 84 people have died in different Indian cities after consuming a toxic alcohol drink, increasing death toll recorded from intake of the substance to 105.
A breakdown of the death toll indicated that 80 died in Tarn Taran districts while the 25 others were confirmed dead in nearby Amistar and Batala districts.
As gathered, 21 of the 105 people died barely five days ago after consuming the substances and the others died days after the police arrested atleast 30 suspects linked to distribution of the alcohol.
Confirming the death toll, the State Police stated that some of the victims, who were farmers and workers, died after they fell sick as a result of drinking the alcohol across three districts.
According to the police, initial investigations revealed the liquor contained methanol, which can cause blindness and death when consumed in large amounts.
The police further stated that thousands of litres of tainted liquor were recovered from the 30 bootleggers and illegal distilleries.
Meanwhile, the Indian opposition party has accused the country’s government of encouraging the spurious liquor trade which has led to the tragedy.
However, reports from government data shows that an average of 1,000 people die in India each year after consuming illegally distilled alcohol made with poor-quality ingredients and sometimes mixed with industrial alcohol and toxic substances.
A total of 151 people, mostly tea-plantation workers, died after drinking toxic alcohol last year in one of the worst cases of liquor poisoning in India in recent years.
