They all consumed illegal moonshine in the Botad and Ahmedabad districts of Gujarat, where the production, sale and consumption of alcohol is illegal.
“About 10 people were arrested and about 475 liters of liquid were seized,” said Ashish Bhatia, Director General of the Gujarat Police.
Bhatia said that one of those arrested stole methanol from a factory in Gujarat and sold it to a cousin who then sold it to others who diluted the chemical with water and sold it as liquor. Methanol can cause intoxication, but even very small amounts can be toxic.
Deaths from the consumption of smuggled alcohol, known colloquially as “country liquor”, are not uncommon in India.
But even in states where drinking is legal, illegal alcohol remains popular, especially in poorer, rural areas.
“The by-products of methanol metabolism cause an accumulation of acid in the blood (metabolic acidosis), blindness and death,” the CDC reports.
The deaths this week are the latest tragedy in India’s long struggle to control the illicit trade.