Saran hooch toll up to 70, official figures put at 34

PATNA: The death toll in Saran hooch tragedy mounted to 70 while no new casualties were reported from the adjoining Siwan district on Saturday.
However, the Saran district administration has confirmed only 34 deaths on the basis of postmortem performed at the hospital. Five persons had died in Siwan on Friday due to consumption of suspected spurious liquor. Most of the deaths in Saran have been reported in Mashrak and Isuapur areas of the district. Local sources had reported 60 deaths in Saran till Friday evening.
Saran SP Santosh Kumar said eight liquor smugglers were arrested and being interrogated by the SIT team formed to investigate the hooch tragedy. KK Pathak, additional chief secretary of prohibition, excise and registration department, has directed the DMs to get destroyed the spirit seized and kept at the police stations and excise police stations within a week.