Bootleg liquor has led to the deaths of at least 23 people while sickening 200 others in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, the New York Times reported.
"People started getting sick Sunday night," said H.D. Kaul, a spokesman for the city of Lucknow, the state capital.
The contaminated moonshine is said to have been made by a man identified as Jugnu, police said. Local government officials were also accused of turning a blind eye to their duties and were suspended.
In India, bootleg liquor is commonly made and consumed because some laws in the country's states limit the sale of the beverages. In addition, bootleg varieties are usually cheaper than name-brand drinks.
A local public hospital was quickly overwhelmed with patients as 140 victims rushed in on Monday. Before long, 17 patients had died.
"We don't have enough ventilator facilities," Dr. Dhirender Kumar said. "As the ventilator beds become available, we shift serious patients onto ventilators."
The man may have brewed the batch with methanol, a toxic chemical found in antifreeze and other industrial chemicals, Voice of America News reported.
The families of the victims will also be paid roughly $3,000 to compensate for the tragedy and police reassured the guilty would be punished. Top officials who are charged with enforcing alcohol laws in the Indian state will remain suspended.
