Kurichedu Tragedy: Deceased Were Drinking Sanitiser For 10 Days, Says Prakasam SP

PRAKASAM: The death toll due to consumption of sanitiser in Prakasam district has increased to 10. Prakasam district Superintendent of Police (SP) Siddharth Kaushal said that the deceased had been consuming sanitiser for the past 10 days, mixing it with water and other soft drinks.

The SP and MLA Venugopal Rao Maddisetty examined the bodies at the mortuary. Responding to this tragic incident in Kurichedu village, Siddharth

Kaushal said that the deceased consumed the poisonous liquid for the past few days. He said that police were also investigating the possibility of mixing the sanitiser with any other toxic liquid.

The MLA has appealed to people not to drink sanitiser for COVID-19 prevention as these are rumours and the result is fatal.

Police said that family members of the deceased people confirmed that they have been consuming the poisonous substance for the past 10 days. The sanitiser stocks in that area are being sent for examination to trace the presence of harmful chemicals in it, said Kaushal.

The Kurichedu village in Prakasam district has been under lockdown due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. As a measure to contain the spread of the virus, the liquor shops in that area were completely shut for the past few days. Desperate tipplers then consumed the hand sanitiser which has alcohol content.

It was on Thursday night that three men died. While one died on the spot, the other two died while undergoing treatment at government hospital in Darsi town, police said.

Six others who fell ill after consuming the sanitiser died this morning. Others who consumed the sanitiser were undergoing treatment in their houses, said police.

A video of Anugonda Srinu Boya, who is one among the persons who died due to consuming sanitiser, went viral on social media. In the video, Srinu was seen pouring the sanitiser into the glass and offering it to one more person to drink along with him.