Toxic liquor kills dozens in India

An Indian woman whose relative died after consuming the toxic bootleg at Atardiha village in Azamgarh  district yesterday

Another 10 people have died in hospitals after drinking toxic bootleg liquor in northern India, police said Sunday, raising the death toll to 42 in the past three days.

Some 40 people are being treated in hospitals in Uttar Pradesh state, said District Magistrate Neena Sharma.

Police arrested 32 people for illegally brewing and selling the toxic drink to the villagers, who were celebrating the Hindu "Dussehra" festival in Azamgarh district last week, Sharma said. The region is 300 kilometers (185 miles) southeast of Lucknow, the state capital.

Deaths from drinking illegally brewed alcohol are common in India because the poor cannot afford licensed liquor. Illicit liquor is often spiked with chemicals such as pesticides to increase potency.