The Number of Victims of Fake Alcohol in India Exceeds 50

Indian media reported that the number of victims from consuming toxic counterfeit alcohol has risen to 53 in the country, according to officials. A senior government official in the "Kalakkurichi" district of Tamil Nadu stated that the latest figures, as of Saturday, July 2, indicate that 53 people have died. Meanwhile, other Indian media outlets reported on Sunday, July 3, that the number of victims has reached 55, although these reports cannot be independently verified. Previously, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu announced that the local liquor "Arrack" was contaminated with toxic methanol, leading to the deaths of 37 people within hours of consumption on Tuesday. Reports indicate that over a hundred people have been hospitalized, with some in critical condition. In India, hundreds die annually from consuming cheap alcohol produced in illegal workshops, but this year's poisonings are among the worst in recent years. People mix alcoholic beverages with methanol to increase potency, which can lead to blindness, liver damage, and death. The Indian Express reported on Sunday, July 3, that a local advisor described how poor workers in the Kalakkurichi area regularly purchase these drinks, sold in plastic bags for 60 rupees (0.7 dollars), before starting work, leading some to be hospitalized for blindness while others have died quickly in the streets. A rickshaw driver living on a street where 23 people have died from counterfeit alcohol stated, "Men work just to drink, while women manage the family." Typically, in countries like Iran where there is a ban on alcohol consumption, counterfeit alcoholic beverages claim victims, but in Tamil Nadu, there is no prohibition on the sale and consumption of alcohol. However, the black market for counterfeit alcohol is thriving due to low prices. The sale and consumption of alcohol are banned in several regions of India, leading to a booming black market for illegal and sometimes deadly beverages. Last year, counterfeit alcohol killed at least 27 people in Bihar in a single incident, and in 2022, at least 42 people died in Gujarat from drinking counterfeit alcohol. In Iran, where the government prohibits the production, distribution, and consumption of alcoholic beverages and imposes penalties for it, many reports of poisoning from "counterfeit" or "industrial alcohol" and methanol are reported annually. In June and July 2023, reports of poisoning from homemade alcoholic beverages emerged from the provinces of Alborz, West Azerbaijan, Hormozgan, Tehran, Mazandaran, Qazvin, and Gilan within less than two weeks.