Tainted Liquor in Tamil Nadu Kills 47

The death toll from the latest case of tainted liquor in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has climbed to 47, with over 100 people still in hospital, a government official said.

Videos showed a mass cremation of the deceased and families carried out last rites only a few meters apart.

Since Wednesday more than 150 people, suffering from vomiting, stomach aches and diarrhea, have needed treatment after drinking methanol-mixed liquor made in the Kallakurichi district, about 250 km from the state capital Chennai.

According to government officials 118 people were still being treated in hospitals in the district and nearby areas.

Police arrested four people over illicit liquor sales and seized 200 liters of the alcoholic drink, the state government said, adding that it had taken disciplinary action against 10 officials for failure to prevent it.

Deaths from illegally produced alcohol, known locally as "hooch" or "country liquor," are a regular occurrence in India, where many cannot afford branded spirits, even as the public and activists call for a crackdown on the sellers.

The Tamil Nadu government said it was taking steps to identify people involved in the production of methanol - a toxic chemical normally used for industrial purposes.

There was mass cremation of the deceased and families carried out last rites only a few meters apart, videos showed, reminiscent of images from India during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

More than a dozen people died last year in a similar incident in a nearby district of Tamil Nadu.