[ad_1]
State Chief Minister MK Stalin said the 34 died after consuming alcohol that was tainted with methanol, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.
The incident took place in the state’s Kalakurichi district, where more than 100 people are being treated at various hospitals, said senior district official MS Prasanth.
He added that the number of those in critical condition continued to change, suggesting the death toll could rise.
Ambulances, doctors and specialists from nearby areas were sent to the district.
Government officials earlier said several people who were vomiting and had stomach pains were admitted to hospitals on Wednesday, prompting a police investigation.
Later that day, Stalin, the chief minister, said in a post on social media platform X that those involved in the crime have been arrested and action has also been taken against officials who failed to prevent it.
Such crimes that ruin the society will be met with an iron fist,” he added.
Deaths from illegally produced alcohol are common in India, where the poor cannot afford licensed brands from state-owned stores.
Illicit alcohol, often laced with chemicals such as pesticides to increase potency, has also become a highly profitable industry as bootleggers pay no taxes and sell vast quantities of their product to the poor at a low price.
In 2022, more than 30 people died in the eastern Indian state of Bihar after allegedly drinking alcohol sold without a permit.
And in 2020, at least 120 people died after drinking tainted alcohol in the northern Indian state of Punjab.
[ad_2]
