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At least 37 people died after consuming adulterated alcohol in the Indian state of Bihar (northeast), where alcoholic beverages are prohibited, authorities announced this Saturday. Of the nearly 5 billion liters of alcohol consumed each year in the country, around 40% is produced illegally, according to the International Wine & Spirits Association of India.
The sale and consumption of alcohol is banned in many parts of India, giving rise to a thriving black market with clandestine distilleries leading to hundreds of deaths each year. According to the families of the victims, several of the people who died drank a locally made liquor known as “Mahua” or “Desi Daru” on Monday, during a wedding and other events.
“More than two dozen people have lost their lives in the last 48 hours,” declared a police official, specifying that 37 people had died so far. The local press speaks of at least 71 deaths, but this figure has not been confirmed.
Police have arrested more than 100 people in connection with the illegal manufacture and sale of alcohol in the past three days. The agents also seized 600 liters of brandy.
Clandestine alcoholic beverages are often adulterated with methanol, to increase their alcohol level. Ingestion of this substance can cause blindness, liver damage and death.
with AFP
