20 die in India from contaminated liquor
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-04-13 08:23

A shopkeeper in southern India sold batches of contaminated liquor, killing at least 20 people, most of them poor villagers, police said Tuesday.

The death toll is likely to rise, as more than 30 people have been hospitalized since Monday night in the Neelamangala region, 20 miles west of Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka state, said police inspector Ramesh Kumar.

Akkaiyamma, right, mother of Kalaiah, 25, mourns during the last rites of her son at Mathahalli village, 25 kilometers (16 miles) northwest of Bangalore, India, Tuesday, April 12, 2005. Kalaiah was one of twenty people, who died after drinking contaminated liquor sold by a shopkeeper. [AP]

Ten people died Monday night and another 10 died Tuesday, he said.

Dozens of people from three villages in the region consumed the liquor, which was sold in small plastic bags. The bag, which had fake labels, looked like cheap name-brand liquor, Kumar said.

"We are looking for a local gang that sold the liquor. No arrests have been made so far," Kumar said.

Such incidents are common in rural India, where cheap, homemade brew is sometimes mixed with methyl alcohol, which can cause blindness or death. The victims are almost always poor people who cannot afford more expensive alcohol.

Samples of the liquor have been sent to a lab for tests, Kumar said.

Close

Today's Top News     Top World News
Japan told to face up to history, reflect on protests         HK law staff consult on tenure of new CE         Nations to make big difference to world         Tourist attractions freeze prices, for now         Government warns over painkiller drugs         Argument hits new pitch at opera house	Report: Saddam could escape execution       India begins construction of aircraft carrier       Tony Blair favored in British elections       Lebanon leaders delay cabinet formation       U.S. contractor kidnapped in Iraq       Hizbollah flies drone over northern Israel