Death toll in Tamil Nadu hooch tragedy rises to 57; 156 undergoing treatment

The death toll in the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy in Tamil Nadu rose to 57 on Monday, according to the updated information by the district administration. As of now, 156 people are receiving treatment in multiple government hospitals.

A total of 110 persons are undergoing treatment at the Kallakurichi Government Medical College hospital. Twelve persons are admitted at Puducherry, 20 persons are undergoing treatment at Salem and four in the Villupuram government hospital, said the district administration.

So far, 32 persons have died at the Government Kallakurichi Medical College and Hospital, 18 at the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College and Hospital in Salem. Four persons have died at the Government Villupuram Medical College and Hospital and three at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer) in Puducherry.

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, while condoling the deaths of the victims, said that the state government will take care of the educational expenses and hostel fees of the children who have lost either one or both parents in the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy.

Speaking in the Assembly session, Stalin said that the state government will provide ₹5000 monthly assistance until the age of 18 for children who have lost both their parents and ₹5 lakh will be deposited immediately as a fixed deposit in the names of children who have lost both parents.

Meanwhile, the CB-CID of Tamil Nadu police commenced a probe under SP Shantharam. As per the Kallakurichi Collector, seven people have been arrested in the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy.

On Sunday, the bodies of the deceased buried without postmortem were exhumed to confirm the cause of death to provide the ex-gratia amount to the families. A total of 216 patients were admitted to multiple hospitals after consuming illicit liquor, with the majority of them still receiving treatment.