AT LEAST 76 PEOPLE DIE IN INDIA AFTER DRINKING BOOTLEG LIQUOR

New Delhi — At least 76 people have died in northern India after drinking bootleg liquor, the latest in a series of tragedies caused by illegal alcohol that turned out to be poisonous. The deaths were in two neighboring states, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Tainted liquor has killed at least 36 people since Thursday in the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, said Alok Kumar Pandey, the local administrator. The district is about 130 miles from New Delhi, the nation’s capital. Deaths from illicit liquor are common in India, where illegally brewed alcohol is often consumed for reasons including poverty and geographic isolation. Bootleggers have been known to add methanol, a toxic substance used in antifreeze, to such brews.