11 die after drinking contaminated alcohol
Eleven people died after drinking contaminated home-brewed alcohol served by a political candidate during a local election campaign in northern India, officials said today.
The drink was served to villagers in Unnao district in Uttar Pradesh state on Sunday night at the end of the day’s campaigning, said Anita Chatterjee, a local district official.
“Around 40 people drank the liquor at the party. Nine people died within hours of consuming it, while two others died in hospital,” Chatterjee said.
At least 20 other men were being treated in a hospital for methyl alcohol poisoning, doctors said in Unnao, 30 miles southwest of the state capital, Lucknow.
The drink was brewed locally and was laced with a high dose of methyl alcohol, said Ritesh Pandey, an official from the excise department. He said an inquiry had been ordered to investigate the cause of the deaths.
Campaigning for village council elections is in full swing in Uttar Pradesh and candidates use different means to draw votes, including distributing money and alcohol.
Alcohol poisoning is common in India. To increase potency and quantity, cheap home-made brew is sometimes mixed with methyl alcohol, which can cause blindness or death.
