At least 14 people have died and six others were hospitalised in critical condition after consuming toxic liquor in northern India, authorities said on Tuesday.
Seven people were arrested on allegations they supplied the toxic liquor in five villages around 19 kilometres from the city of Amritsar in northern Punjab, senior police officer Maninder Singh said.
The police have launched a crackdown to destroy the network of spurious liquor supplies in the area following the incident, Singh said.
The local administration deployed medics to the villages to check on people who drank the contaminated liquor, said Sakshi Sawhney, a senior government official in Amritsar.
Those showing symptoms are being moved to hospitals to ensure the death toll doesn’t rise, said Sawhney.
Investigators have not said what ingredients were suspected of causing the deaths and sickness.
In India, deaths from the consumption of contaminated liquor manufactured locally are rampant, mainly in rural areas, as people are eager to buy alcoholic drinks at cheap prices.
