Methyl alcohol kills 27 people in Uttar Pradesh
Mumbai (AsiaNews) - At least 27 people have been killed and 122 seriously harmed after consuming toxic alcohol in a number of villages in Malihabad and Unnao districts, in India's Uttar Pradesh state.
Victims felt sick on Sunday and Monday. Many of them had gathered to watch a cricket match on Sunday.
The shop owner who sold the homemade alcohol has been arrested, officials said, adding that large containers of chemicals found at the shop had been sent to a laboratory for testing.
Doctors in Lucknow, where most people are being treated, said the condition of some of those being treated was serious. A number of patients have been put on ventilators whilst some lost their eyesight.
"The symptoms gave a clear indication that these patients were served methyl alcohol," said Dr Kausar Usman, head of the trauma centre at Lucknow's King George's Medical College hospital.
Given its low cost, it is not uncommon to have methanol mixed with ethyl alcohol. In recent years, India has seen several incidents of poisoning from homemade liquor.
In February 2010, at least ten people were poisoned in Tamil Nadu. The same occurred in July 2009, with more than 100 people involved in Gujarat, followed in September by about 30 people in Uttar Pradesh; and more than 100 people in Kolkata in West Bengal in 2011.
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