BAD BOOZE

Bootleg Liquor Kills 143 in India

Laced with toxic methanol.

Bootleg liquor sold in small shops in an Eastern India town is reportedly the cause of 143 deaths, Indian authorities said Thursday. Ten people were arrested in connection with the tainted alcohol, which was said to contain toxic methanol. Dozens of other people were hospitalized with illness suspected to be related to the bad booze in Sangrampur, just north of Kolkata. Police closed 10 illicit liquor dens in the area and said the alcohol originated from a distillery that supplies 70 stores in the area. Alcohol contains ethanol, but toxic methanol—found in antifreeze—can cause comas, blindness and death. Two-thirds of the alcohol consumed in India is said to be illegally made at homes or undocumented distilleries.