21 people dead, 10 hospitalized after drinking tainted liquor in India; multiple arrests made

Twenty-one people have died in India and 10 are in the hospital after drinking tainted liquor, authorities said on Tuesday, updating the death toll. Nine people were in custody, police said.

Hundreds of people die every year in India from drinking cheap alcohol made in backstreet distilleries. Bootleggers sell vast quantities at cut rates to the poor, without paying taxes to the government.

To increase its potency, the liquor is often spiked with methanol that can cause blindness, liver damage and death.