End-of-Day Drink Kills at Least 150

Tainted alcohol takes the lives of Indian tea garden workers
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 24, 2019 3:40 PM CST
Illicit Booze Kills at Least 150
A doctor attends to a victim, who had consumed bootleg liquor, at a hospital in Jorhat in northeastern state of Assam, India, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019.   (AP Photo)

Tea garden workers in India like ending the day with a little moonshine, but a recent batch turned out to be deadly—killing at least 150 people and hospitalizing about 200 others in a remote part of northeastern Assam state, NPR reports. Authorities have already arrested 10 suspects and others are being questioned, per CNN. Such moonshine is appealing for its low price but can be mixed with liquids like methanol or rubbing alcohol and become highly dangerous; in India, 80 people died in February and over 100 in 2015 from similar batches. A top official is calling for "a complete ban on [the] sale of illegal liquor" as investigators try to identify the deadly contaminant, per the Hindustan Times. (More India stories.)

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