The death toll in the Kurichedu tragedy rose to 16 with five more persons with alcohol dependency succumbing to the hand sanitiser they had consumed in Prakasam district in the last 24 hours.
The situation has turned alarming as 40 more tipplers, most of them labourers, reported sickness caused due to consumption of a hand sanitiser which was easily available in medical shops.
They were rushed to the Government General Hospital here, where one person died on Sunday.
“The remaining are responding to treatment,” GGH Superintendent D. Sriramulu told The Hindu.
Of the four other deceased, two died in their homes and one each at the Government Hospital at Vinukonda and GGH, Guntur late on Saturday, police said.
All wine shops had been closed in the wake of a spurt in COVID-19 cases in Kurichedu where 22 persons had tested positive for coronavirus.
Police drive
Meanwhile, police conducted a special drive in the district to unearth incidents of misuse of alcohol-based hand sanitisers.
Over 55 alcoholics who were in the habit of consuming sanitiser were taken into custody at Addanki bus stand centre, railway station, new market centre, Sangamitra hospital centre and other areas.
Superintendent of Police Siddharth Kaushal counselled them on the ill-effects of consuming a hand sanitiser which could prove fatal. He promised them government support for de-addiction.
He ordered the personnel to step up raids on illegal belt shops, ID liquor manufacturing units and identify the places where sanitiser consumption was in vogue across the district.