Skip navigation

Tainted liquor kills 156 across southern India

1,500 people arrested in bid to curb distribution, police say

IMAGE: DEMOLISHED LIQUOR STORE IN INDIA
People stand on the remains of a liquor store after it was demolished by angry residents in Bangalore, India, on Monday. Residents said it had been selling poisoned liquor.
Aijaz Rahi / AP
South and Central Asia video  
Image: DMRC workers stand beside an overturned crane in New Delhi
Reuters
Cranes collapse in India
  July 13: Workers are sent running for their lives when three truck-mounted cranes collapse under too much weight in India. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports.

Text alerts on msnbc.com

Breaking news alerts (about 1 per day)
Click here to sign up or text NEWS to MSNBC (67622).

Find more alerts at alerts.msnbc.com

updated 12:29 p.m. ET May 21, 2008

NEW DELHI - Locally brewed liquor apparently tainted with lethal chemicals continued to kill in southern India, with another 66 people dying and bringing the overall death toll from the past five days to 156, police said Wednesday.

Another 135 people were being treated in hospitals in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states, said Sri Kumar, the Karnataka state police chief.

Bootleggers have been selling the deadly brew as police shut authorized liquor shops in Karnataka state because of voting for the state government, Kumar said.

Story continues below ↓
advertisement | your ad here

In India, liquor stores and bars are routinely closed on voting days to prevent politicians from handing out free alcohol in a bid to win votes.

Kumar said 66 deaths were reported overnight and on Wednesday.

Since Saturday, 156 people, mostly poor laborers, have died — 88 in and around Bangalore, India's key information technology hub, and 25 in neighboring Kolar district.

Another 43 people died in a village just across the border with Tamil Nadu state, according to the Web site of the Karnataka state police.

Police were analyzing the drink to determine what made it so deadly.

Police arrested 1,500 people and seized tainted liquor worth $1.8 million since elections were announced in Karnataka state last month in a drive to curb its distribution, Kumar said.

Deaths from illicitly brewed liquor are frequent in Indian villages and towns, where locally made brew is often spiked with pesticides or chemicals like the banned methyl alcohol to make it stronger or increase the amount.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sponsored LinksGet listed here
Top Online Schools
Find the perfect online school and Boost your Career! Free Info Pack.
www.EarnMyDegree.com

Sponsored links

Resource guide