Tainted liquor claims 43 lives in India's Gujarat state - Summary

Posted : Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:35:39 GMT
By : DPA
Category : Health
News Alerts by Email ( click here )
Health News | Home
New Delhi - As many as 43 people have died after drinking illegally-distilled liquor in India's western Gujarat state, which prompted the state government to take action against local police officers, news reports said Wednesday. The death toll rose after 27 more deaths were reported from different areas in the state's Ahmedabad district since Tuesday evening, according to Gujarat police chief SS Khandwawala, the PTI news agency reported. Most of the victims were workers.

Coming under fire from the state opposition in what is one of the worst tainted liquor tragedies in Gujarat, the state government suspended six police officials and instituted an judicial inquiry.

The victims had consumed the liquor Sunday night and the first death was reported on Tuesday, police said. Twenty nine people were being treated at hospitals.

The sale and consumption of alcohol is banned across Gujarat since the state's formation in 1960.

The incident prompted protests in the city on Tuesday in which women demanded that the government crack down on illegal liquor dens.

There was more trouble after the state administration ordered police raids on local stills, the Times of India newspaper reported.

Protests began in worker-dominated localities in Ahmedabad where the preparation and sale of liquor is common, the report said.

Residents threw stones and police used tear-gas to disperse the crowds after raids at five places in the district.

The rising death toll also sparked protests from voluntary organizations as well as Gujarat's main opposition Congress party who have blamed the state administration for the tragedy.

Police said the situation was "tense but under control" and the matter was being thoroughly investigated to identify liquor dens and arrest bootleggers across the state.

Illicit liquor is a thriving business in India because it is much cheaper than legal alcohol, but contaminated products cause scores of deaths each year, mostly in the eastern and southern regions.

Copyright DPA

Share/Save/Bookmark

Article : Tainted liquor claims 43 lives in India's Gujarat state - Summary
Print this article
Email this article

Stay Updated
News gadget on your Google homepage
Subscribe to a news feed in Google Reader


Related News

Zimbabwe children, women's health declining sharply: UNICEF
Harare - The health of Zimbabwe's children and women, particularly in the poorer parts of the country has worsened sharply, with 100 children under five dying of mostly preventable diseases each day, the United Nations said Tuesday. A survey carried ...

Belgian 'coma' patient was conscious for 23 years: reports
Brussels - A 46-year-old Belgian who doctors thought had fallen into a deep coma after a car crash in 1983 had in fact been conscious for 23 years, Belgian media reported Tuesday. Rom Houben was paralysed and declared to be in a vegetative state. But...

HIV stable in Asia but rising among women, gay men
Beijing - The rate of HIV infection has risen among women and gay men in some Asian nations but stabilized across the region in recent years, a United Nations report said on Tuesday. The proportion of women among the estimated 4.7 million people livi...

HIV infections fall 17 per cent in seven years, UN says
Beijing - New HIV infections fell by 17 per cent globally from 2001 to last year, reflecting progress towards controlling spread of the virus, the United Nations umbrella group for HIV/AIDS reported on Tuesday. The good news is that we have evidence...

Estonia confirms first swine flu fatality
Tallinn - Fears grew about the spread of the A/H1N1 flu virus, known commonly as swine flu, in the Baltic states Tuesday after Estonian health officials confirmed their first fatality as a result of the illness. A statement released by the Estonian m...

WHO warns of resurgence of avian flu virus
Manila - The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Tuesday of a possible resurgence of bird flu amid new cases of the disease in poultry in Egypt, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. The Manila-based WHO Western Pacific Office said the presence of the ...

Czech Republic starts swine flu vaccination
Prague - The Czech Republic began Monday vaccinating a portion of its population against the so-called swine flu in a bid to ease a looming epidemic, health officials said. The efforts against the H1N1 influenza virus began with some hospitals vaccin...

Have your Say
Name
Email
Subject
Your Comment

Enter Verification code
 
  

 

 

More Health News click here
Follow The Earth Times
Subscribe to RSS Follow Earth Times on TwitterNews by email
Share/Save/Bookmark

 
 



 
Subscribe to free Earthtimes
News Alerts by Email Click here
For RSS Feeds Click here
or Create your own RSS

Add to Google Toolbar
Breaking News
Press Releases

 


The Earth Times
News Category

© 2009 www.earthtimes.org, The Earth Times, All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy
Earth Times accept no responsibility or liability either directly or indirectly for views or opinions expressed in articles or comments.