India: Tainted alcohol death toll rises to 54 in Tamil Nadu
Al Jazeera
Vendors sell the cheap alcohol for huge profits to customers who cannot afford branded drinks.
At least 54 people have died and dozens are still hospitalised after drinking alcohol laced with methanol in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Nearly 200 people have been treated since Wednesday in the district of Kallakurichi, and more than 100 people are still being cared for across multiple hospitals.
Forty-eight men and six women succumbed to the tainted liquor as of Saturday with others being treated for symptoms including vomiting, stomach aches and diarrhoea.
People regularly buy illegal alcohol as few can afford branded spirits sometimes leading to large casualty incidents since some vendors add methanol to increase the potency of their drink.
But methanol, a highly toxic chemical substance used for industrial purposes, can lead to blindness, liver damage or death even in small quantities.
