Drinking Fake Alcohol With Alcohol Content Of 98.71 Percent: 39 People Killed, 88 Treated And Nine People Arrested

Illustration. (Unsplash/@nastogadka)

JAKARTA - At least 39 people have died and 88 others are undergoing treatment at the hospital, with dozens of them in critical condition, after drinking fake liquor.

The government said the cause of death of the victims was chemical poisoning, with the drinks they consumed were known to contain 98.71 percent methyl alcohol.

This incident occurred in the state of Gujarat, western India. Police in their initial investigation found that small-scale smugglers from various villages in Botad had made fake alcohol by mixing water with methyl alcohol, reported The National News July 27.

The methyl alcohol was obtained illegally by a worker at a chemical packaging company in the state's Ahmedabad City. The fatal combination was then sold to villagers for 20 rupees (25 cents) a bag.

"This is a clear case of chemical poisoning," senior state police officer Ashok Kumar Yadav told The National.

"The Forensic Science Laboratory report has also confirmed that," he continued.

Police said two cases were brought against 25 people on murder charges and nine people were arrested.

The tragedy began on Monday morning, when residents of the state's Rojid Villages, Barwala and Botad Townships were admitted to government-run hospitals after they started feeling seriously ill.

Two died in the morning and five others lost their lives while undergoing treatment during the day. Three more died during treatment on Monday evening, said Ashish Bhatia, Director General of Police in the state.

Himmat Bhai, who is recovering at a hospital in Barwala, told local media he fell ill after buying liquor from a smuggler on Sunday night.

Alcoholic beverages are banned in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, and only those with a special "health permit" from the government can drink alcohol. Anyone caught buying, consuming or serving alcohol without a permit can be jailed for up to five years.

Deaths from illegally produced alcohol, popularly called hooch or country liquor in the local language, are common in India, where few can afford branded liquor.

At least 150 people were killed in the Gujarat city of Ahmedabad in 2009, in one of India's worst hooch incidents.

Others, thirteen people died in eastern Bihar, another dry state with a history of hooch tragedy, after consuming fake liquor in May, and more than 35 died in the state after drinking fake alcohol while celebrating Holi, the festival of colours, in March. This year.