The death toll from consuming toxic bootleg alcohol last week in Tamil Nadu, a southern Indian state, has risen to 57, authorities report.
Residents of the state’s Kallakuruchi district were hospitalized on June 18 after falling ill from drinking poisonous liquor.
Approximately 156 people are still receiving treatment for ailments such as severe diarrhea.
Five individuals have been arrested, and a broader investigation is underway.
Dozens of people in India die each year from consuming bootleg alcohol from illicit distilleries.
Bootleggers often add methanol—a highly toxic form of alcohol sometimes used as antifreeze—to increase the potency of their concoctions.
Even small amounts of methanol can cause blindness, liver damage, and death.
In Kallakuruchi, most victims were daily wage workers who purchased the toxic alcohol.
According to The NewsMinute website, the accused sold the concoction in packets through a local vendor.
Consumers experienced symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, vomiting, nausea, stomach pain, and eye irritation before being hospitalized.