Moonshine Kills 133 in India

A bad of batch moonshine is responsible for the death of nearly 150 people in India. Authorities raided liquor vendors in the Indian state of West Bengal on Thursday after 133 people died and another 170 were made sick from illegal moonshine.

According to CNN, 327 people were hospitalized in West Bengal. 133 people have already died and many more are in critical condition.

Reuters reports that the illegal moonshine was sold at several liquor stores in India. Police have arrested four people that they believe are responsible for brewing the illegal beverage and have shut down a factory where they believe the moonshine was made.

Zamir Sardar, the uncle of Jahangir Sardar who died from ingesting the moonshine, said:

“He drank the alcohol late in the afternoon yesterday…we didn’t realise his health was deteriorating. In the morning, his condition seemed very unusual, he cried out in pain. Then we brought him to the hospital as soon as we could, but he passed away within a couple of hours.”

Most of the people hospitalized from the moonshine were poor laborers in India. Reuters reports that mass deaths from drinking moonshine is relatively common in India. The poorer population tends to drink “country liquor” which is cheaper, and apparently more dangerous, than liquor sold from licensed shops.

Would you drink potentially lethal moonshine if it was the only liquor that you could afford?