Illegally brewed liquor kills at least 34 with dozens hospitalized in southern India

Officials say at least 34 people have died and dozens are hospitalized after drinking illegally brewed liquor tainted with methanol in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A local official told the Press Trust of India news agency Thursday the deaths occurred in the state’s Kallakurichi district, where more than 100 people are being treated in hospitals. Deaths from illegally brewed alcohol are common in India, where the poor cannot afford licensed brands from government-run shops. The illicit liquor, which is often spiked with chemicals such as pesticides to increase potency, has also become a hugely profitable industry as bootleggers pay no taxes and sell enormous quantities of their product to the poor at a cheap rate.