Locally brewed liquor kills 34 in India

A locally brewed drink has killed 34 people in India.

The number of the dead, it is feared, may rise in the coming days as more than 100 people who drank the toxic alcohol and had to be taken to hospital are currently at the mercy of doctors.

According to local media reports, the deadly substance was prepared and consumed in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu’s chief minister, Muthuvel Stalin, was quoted Thursday as saying that the 34 died “after consuming liquor that was tainted with methanol.”

He had earlier said in a post on the social media platform, X, that those involved in the crime had been arrested.

“Action had also been taken against officials who failed to prevent it,” he added, asserting that “Such crimes that ruin the society will be suppressed with an iron fist.”

Deaths from illegally brewed liquor abound in India where the vast majority of alcohol seekers lack the means for safer brands.

The mix of black market substances, often spiked with low-priced but dangerous chemicals to increase potency, is cheaper to brew and buy and as such attractive to brewers and consumers alike.