14 die from drinking toxic liquor in India

At least 14 people died and six were hospitalised in critical condition after consuming toxic liquor overnight in northern India, police said Tuesday, reports UNB via AP.

Seven people were arrested on allegations that they supplied the toxic liquor in five villages around 19 kilometres from the city of Amritsar in northern Punjab, senior police officer Maninder Singh said.

The police have launched a crackdown to destroy the network of spurious liquor supplies in the area following the incident, he said.

The local administration deployed medics to the villages to check on people who drank the contaminated liquor, said Sakshi Sawhney, a senior government official in Amritsar.

Those showing symptoms are being shifted to hospitals to ensure the death toll doesn't rise, said the government official.

Investigators have not said what ingredients were suspected of causing the deaths and sickness.

In India, deaths from consumption of contaminated liquor manufactured locally is rampant, mainly in rural areas, as people lap them up for cheaper prices.