Toxic liquor kills 34 in India's Tamil Nadu; over 100 hospitalised

In a tragic incident in India, a batch of toxic illegal alcohol has claimed the lives of at least 34 people and hospitalized over 100 others, according to Tamil Nadu state officials on Thursday.

Chief Minister MK Stalin reported that the deadly mix involved locally brewed arrack drink laced with poisonous methanol, as reported by the Press Trust of India. Stalin announced that arrests had been made in connection with the deaths and warned that such crimes, which "ruin society," would be "suppressed with an iron fist," according to a statement from his office.

In India, hundreds of people die each year from consuming cheap alcohol made in backstreet distilleries. To increase its potency, the liquor is often spiked with methanol, a substance that can cause blindness, liver damage, and death.

In this particular case in Tamil Nadu, over 100 people were hospitalized, according to MS Prasanth, a top government official in the state's Kallakurichi district, quoted by Indian media. State governor RN Ravi expressed his deep shock at the deaths and noted that "many more victims are in serious condition battling for their lives," via social media platform X.

Although Tamil Nadu is not a dry state, the black market for liquor thrives due to the lower prices of illegal alcohol compared to legally sold alcohol. In several parts of India where selling and consuming liquor is prohibited, the black market for potent and sometimes lethal backstreet moonshine continues to flourish.

Last year, poisonous alcohol claimed at least 27 lives in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, and in 2022, at least 42 people died in Gujarat due to similar circumstances.