Police arrest eight suspected bootleggers after victims in poor Indian villages drank alcohol containing toxic methanol

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Thirty-nine people have died in northern India and more than two dozen others have fallen sick after drinking bootleg liquor containing toxic methanol .

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In two separate incidents, senior police officer Ashok Kumar said 26 people died in the state of Uttar Pradesh, 306km east of capital New Delhi, while 13 others died in the neighbouring state of Uttarakhand.

Kumar said the victims consumed liquor during a customary feast.

Police have arrested eight suspected bootleggers while the provincial governments have suspended 35 officials including 12 police.

Deaths from illegally brewed alcohol are common in India because the poor cannot afford licensed brands. Illicit liquor is cheap and often spiked with chemicals such as pesticides to increase potency.