New Delhi (AP) – At least 14 people died and six were hospitalized in critical condition after consuming toxic alcohols overnight in northern India, police said on Tuesday.
Seven people were arrested for allegations they provided toxic liqueur in five villages about 19 kilometers (12 miles) from the city of Amritsar in northern Punjab, said the main policeman Singh.
Police have launched a repression to destroy the network of parasitic alcohol supplies in the region following the incident, said Singh.
Local administration has deployed doctors in the villages to verify people who drank contaminated alcohol, said Sakshi Sawhney, a senior government official in Amritsar.
Those who have symptoms are transferred to hospitals to ensure that the number of deaths does not increase, said Sawhney.
Investigators did not say what ingredients were suspected of having caused death and illness.
In India, the deaths due to the consumption of contaminated alcohol manufactured locally are endemic, mainly in rural areas, because people come up at cheaper prices.
