At least 31 dead in India’s Bihar after drinking toxic alcohol

At least 31 people have died and several others hospitalized in India’s Bihar state after drinking toxic alcohol, authorities and local media said.

The deaths happened mainly in two villages in the impoverished eastern state, where the sale and consumption of liquor were banned in 2016 after women’s groups campaigned against poor workers splurging their meagre incomes on drinking.

Such bans are in force in several Indian states, driving a thriving black market for cheap alcohol made in unregulated backstreet distilleries that kills hundreds of people every year.

In the latest incident, men in Saran district, nearly 60km (37 miles) north of state capital Patna, began vomiting on Tuesday before their condition deteriorated.

Several people died on the way to hospital and others died while being treated on Wednesday and Thursday, with local media reports putting the toll at 31. Officials fear the death toll could further rise.

Senior police officer Santosh Kumar said several of the hospitalized people have lost their eyesight. He added that authorities cracked down on illicit alcohol shops in the area.

Gopal Krishna, who heads a primary health center in Saran, said that nearly 55 people reported to the center on Wednesday with multiple illnesses.

“Some complained of loss of vision, nausea, dizziness, sweating, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Among them, 15 were discharged after treatment and the rest were referred to different hospitals for advanced treatment,” he said, adding that four people died immediately after coming to the center.

Agencies