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Cuttack moonshine case death toll at 29
The death toll in the hooch tragedy afflicting the neighbouring districts of Cuttack and Khurda mounted to 29 on Wednesday with over 20 persons succumbing to the effects of the brew at the SCB Medical College hospital here.
Over 50 are now undergoing treatment here and elsewhere and their conditions are critical spreading panic that the toll could be much more than expected. Meanwhile, sorrow and angst gripped the villages on the outskirts of the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar as the tragedy unfolded a macabre of deaths at the Cuttack hospital.
Over a hundred persons had consumed the illicit liquor on Monday evening from a country-made liquor joint whose proprietor Baidhar Bhoi was the first victim of the tragedy.
The hospital authorities here claimed that they are well-equipped to meet any eventuality as the number of victims; particularly labourers, are rushing here by the hour with complaints of nausea, vision loss and massive chest pain. At least eight persons had succumbed by late Tuesday evening in this hospital.
Sources said that among those dead till now, the maximum (12) are from Cuttack district while nine are from Khurda district and eight brick kiln workers belong to Ganjam and Balangir districts.
Doctors treating the victims are, however, not able to ascertain the cause of the deaths and treating the patients thinking that the illness was caused due to methyl alcohol toxicity which had lead to vision impairment.
Meanwhile, Excise Department sleuths, who had arrested the sons and wife of Baidhar on Tuesday, produced them in court on Wednesday and they were remanded to judicial custody.
Cuttack district collector Girish SN visited the hospital and instructed the doctors to provide free treatment to the victims. He, however, trying to dismiss the cause of deaths due to liquor tragedy, maintained that the persons had consumed heavy doses of a drug, which contained higher alcoholic percentage.
Opposition parties have stepped up their ante baying for the heads of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Excise Minister AU Singh Deo and demanded that the incident be probed by the Lokpal instead of a judicial inquiry as announced by the CM.
The Congress staged a road blockade at Badajharilo while the BJP blocked the road at Brahmanijharilo demanding `10 lakh-compensation to the families of the victims.
The death toll in the hooch tragedy afflicting the neighbouring districts of Cuttack and Khurda mounted to 29 on Wednesday with over 20 persons succumbing to the effects of the brew at the SCB Medical College hospital here.
Over 50 are now undergoing treatment here and elsewhere and their conditions are critical spreading panic that the toll could be much more than expected. Meanwhile, sorrow and angst gripped the villages on the outskirts of the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar as the tragedy unfolded a macabre of deaths at the Cuttack hospital.
Over a hundred persons had consumed the illicit liquor on Monday evening from a country-made liquor joint whose proprietor Baidhar Bhoi was the first victim of the tragedy.
The hospital authorities here claimed that they are well-equipped to meet any eventuality as the number of victims; particularly labourers, are rushing here by the hour with complaints of nausea, vision loss and massive chest pain. At least eight persons had succumbed by late Tuesday evening in this hospital.
Sources said that among those dead till now, the maximum (12) are from Cuttack district while nine are from Khurda district and eight brick kiln workers belong to Ganjam and Balangir districts.
Doctors treating the victims are, however, not able to ascertain the cause of the deaths and treating the patients thinking that the illness was caused due to methyl alcohol toxicity which had lead to vision impairment.
Meanwhile, Excise Department sleuths, who had arrested the sons and wife of Baidhar on Tuesday, produced them in court on Wednesday and they were remanded to judicial custody.
Cuttack district collector Girish SN visited the hospital and instructed the doctors to provide free treatment to the victims. He, however, trying to dismiss the cause of deaths due to liquor tragedy, maintained that the persons had consumed heavy doses of a drug, which contained higher alcoholic percentage.
Opposition parties have stepped up their ante baying for the heads of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Excise Minister AU Singh Deo and demanded that the incident be probed by the Lokpal instead of a judicial inquiry as announced by the CM.
The Congress staged a road blockade at Badajharilo while the BJP blocked the road at Brahmanijharilo demanding `10 lakh-compensation to the families of the victims.
