More than 50 Indians died from drinking alcohol mixed with industrial alcohol

The poisoning that occurred on June 18 caused more than 100 people to be hospitalized, but many victims were in such critical condition that doctors could not cure them. Muthuvel Stalin, chief minister of Tamil Nadu state, said 37 people died a few hours after drinking alcohol mixed with industrial alcohol methanol.

MS Prasanth, a senior official in Kallakurichi district in Tamil Nadu state, announced on June 22 that 53 people died in the poisoning incident, and 7 people involved were arrested. Indian media reported on June 23 that 56 people had died, but this country’s officials have not commented on the information.

According to local councilor Palraj, poor workers in Kallakurichi district often buy bags of alcohol for 60 rupees ($0.70) to drink before going to work. In the poisoning incident on June 18, some people were blinded and taken to the hospital, others died on the street.

India records hundreds of deaths each year from drinking cheap alcohol purchased from illegal distilleries. The incident in Tamil Nadu state is one of the worst poisoning incidents in India in recent years.

Many distilleries in India mix methanol into alcohol to increase strength. Methanol, also known as wood alcohol or wood alcohol, is a byproduct of the dry distillation of wood. People who drink this industrial alcohol can become blind, suffer liver damage or die.

Last year’s poisoning in Bihar state, eastern India, left 27 people dead. In 2022, in the state of Gujarat, an alcohol poisoning incident occurred that killed 42 people.