Toxic alcohol kills 143 villagers in India’s West Bengal state.
Residents in 12 villages outside the city of Kolkata, east India, fell ill after consuming the dangerous drink.
Ten people have been arrested in connection to creating and distributing the brew, which was sold for about 10 rupees (12p) per half litre.
Dozens of people are being treated in hospital, while many other died at home.
Areas affected include Sangrampur, Magrahat, Usthi and Mandirbazar.
According to the BBC, residents drank the locally made alcohol on the evening of 13th December.
Despite experiencing serious problems, many victims stayed at home for fear of police harassment if they went to the hospital.
A large number of adults and children were taken to hospitals near the city of Calcutta the following morning, after suffering the symptoms of alcohol poisoning.
Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of the state of West Bengal, promised compensation for the families of the victims and vowed that police forces will do all they can to capture those responsible.
She told reporters, “I want to take strong action against those manufacturing and selling illegal liquor,” she said. “But this is a social problem also, and this has to be dealt with socially also along with action.”
Deaths caused by alcohol poisoning are a common occurrence in India and earlier last month, the state of Gujarat introduced a new law, which allows them to execute any distributors of such beverages.
