By Shuriah Niazi
NEW DELHI (AA) – The death toll from poisonous liquor soared to 24 in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, said an official on Thursday.
“We have received 24 dead bodies for post-mortem and their viscera samples will be sent for further examination to the laboratory,” Saran district Civil Surgeon Dr. Sagar Dulal Sinha told Anadolu Agency.
Nine people are being treated at a local hospital in Chapra and 11 people have been sent to the state capital Patna for treatment as their condition was serious, according to an official.
Requesting anonymity, the official said some people have also lost their eyesight.
According to reports, some people consumed toxic bootleg alcohol late Tuesday night in Bihar's Saran district, after which their health began to deteriorate.
The police have also arrested some people involved in the illegal liquor trade.
The sale and consumption of liquor have been completely banned in Bihar since April 2016.
Meanwhile, talking to reporters in Patna, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said: “Those who consume liquor will die. There is nothing new in it.”
The opposition Bhartiya Janata Party legislators demanded the chief minister’s resignation over the hooch tragedy.
Last week, local media reported the deaths of 11 persons in the same district as a result of consuming spurious booze.
According to official figures, state law enforcement agencies recovered four million liters of bootleg alcohol this year and registered more than 138,000 cases.