13 killed after consuming spurious liquor in east India

NEW DELHI - About 13 people have died over the past five days in India's eastern state of Bihar after allegedly consuming spurious liquor, local media reported on Thursday.

The deaths have reportedly taken place in the Aurangabad and Gaya districts located in south Bihar.

Bihar has been a "dry state" for the past several years since the state's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar prohibited the sale and consumption of liquor. However, the illegal trade of liquor involving the liquor mafia purchased from neighboring states and secretly sold in Bihar has been going on in the state.

The police in Madanpur and Salaiya police stations said over the phone that they are investigating the case, but declined to specify the number of deaths so far.

Most of the victims complained about vomiting, stomach ache, and low visibility, said media reports.

"A liquor consignment arrived from the neighboring state of Jharkhand and distributed in Madanpur, Salaiya and Gaya district's Aamas area. The sale of the liquor is currently underway and the villages of the region are becoming victims of it," Zee News reported.

Meanwhile, the National Human Right Commission of India has served a notice to the Bihar government after mass deaths occurred in Aurangabad and Gaya.