37 killed in illicit liquor incident in northern India

At least 37 people were killed after drinking illicit liquor Friday night and Saturday morning in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, said police. Calling it one of the worst booch tragedies in the state, police said the incident took place in the state's Azamgarh district and all the dead were poor laborers addicted to cheap alcohol. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav suspended 10 people, including local tax inspector and ordered a probe into the incident. Police said the dead could have drunk rectified spirit sold by local shops which rectified spirit mixed with water Such kind of liquor has a rate of spirit of between 90 to 95 degrees, said police. The legally sold cheap liquor in India, called moonshine, has a rate of 42 percent of alcohol. "This is a killer concoction," an official told the media. Illicit liquor incidents take place from time to time in India due to high number of alcohol addicts and poverty. A dozen people were killed in the same district of Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh in 2008 in a similar hooch tragedy, while six people died after drinking illicit liquor in Varanasi in 2010.