Toxic liquor kills 41 in India's Mumbai

Forty-one people have died in Mumbai and 12 others are fighting for their lives after drinking toxic home-made liquor, police said yesterday, in the latest incident of alcohol poisoning in India.

Dhananjay Kulkarni, Mumbai police deputy commissioner, said the victims had started to fall ill on Wednesday morning after consuming the illicit moonshine.

"Forty-one people have died and 24 are receiving treatment in hospital after they consumed spurious liquor," the commissioner told AFP, raising an earlier death toll from 33.

"More than 12 of those are in a critical condition so the death toll may rise. Crime branch is investigating and three suspects are being held in custody," Kulkarni added.

The three men, aged 30, 47, and 50, were arrested on Thursday night, he said.

The commissioner also said eight police officers have been suspended for a "negligent approach while discharging their duty" for failing to stop production and sale of the liquor on their beat.

Bootleg liquor is widely consumed across India where it is sometimes sold for less than a dollar for a 25cl bottle, with deaths frequently reported.

It is rare however for such incidents to occur in a major city like Mumbai, with most cases taking place in poor, rural villages.