At lease 150 people died from drinking tainted liquor and about 200 people have been hospitalized in two separate incidents. In India’s Uttar Pradesh state earlier this month, about 80 people died from tainted bootleg liquor. “The victims of one of the most deadly bootleg liquor-related incidents in India were mostly tea plantation workers in Golaghat and Jorhat districts in Assam state, ” said Himanta Biswa Sharma, the state’s health minister.

On Thursday, Febuary 21st, the workers consumed the tainted liquor that was laced with methyl alcohol, which is a chemical that attacks the central nervous system. They were rushed to nearby hospitals after they were falling unconscious.  Sharma, the minister of India, stated that about 200 people fell sick after they drank the liquor and are in hospitals, some in critical condition.

The owner of the local brewing unit and 13 other people have been arrested. Top police official Mukesh Agarwal stated, “Police are pursuing other people believed to be connected to the racket as part of an ongoing investigation.” The minister Sharma gave a stern remark, stated, ”We shall not spare anyone involved in the manufacture and distribution of the tainted liquor.”

Deaths from illegally brewed alcohol are common in India because low-income people can’t afford licensed brands from government-run shops. Illicit liquor is cheap and often spiked to increase potency.