Tainted liquor toll rises to 29 in India's Uttar Pradesh

Sep 13, 2009, 9:00 GMT

New Delhi - The death toll among people who drank illegally brewed toxic liquor rose to 29 in India's northern Uttar Pradesh state on Sunday with 11 more deaths being reported over the weekend.

It said police sealed wine shops in the northern Saharanpur district and sent samples of the poisonous alcohol for tests.

More than 24 people were ill, some seriously, and undergoing treatment at various hospitals, senior police official Amit Chandra told the IANS.

Police also arrested two dozen people involved in the illicit liquor trade, Suraj Bhan.

Most of the liquor was bought from Khasauli locality of the Deoband area, 450 kilometres north-west of state capital Lucknow.

Illicit liquor is a thriving business in India because it is much cheaper than commercially produced alcohol, but causes scores of deaths each year.

In July, 136 people, mostly slum dwellers, died after consuming tainted liquor in western Gujarat state.

According to estimates by the local media, at least 250 people have died in similar incidents across six other states including national capital New Delhi since the beginning of the year.