The death toll in the Golaghat spurious liquor tragedy increased to 55 on Saturday. As many as 20 others are seriously ill in the incident that happened at the Halmira tea estate in Golaghat district of Assam on Thursday night.
Authorities said that two persons were detained in connection with the case while two excise department officials were suspended pending inquiry.
Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, while expressing concern over the deaths, has ordered an inquiry into the tragedy on Friday.
Sonowal has instituted a one man inquiry and asked Upper Assam Division Commissioner to inquire into the corollaries of events leading to the deaths.
The modus operandi of the inquiry will be to study the circumstances and other related causative factors and prepare a report and submit the same to the government.
Sonowal also asked minister Topon Kumar Gogoi, MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa and MLA Mrinal Saikia to rush to the spot to assess and quell the situation arising out of the death of liquor poisoning.
“The death toll so far is 25, which includes 15 women and 10 men. While 18 people died at the Golaghat Civil Hospital, the rest breathed their last at the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital,” Joint Director of Health, Golaghat district, Rathin Bordoloi, had said on Friday. The death toll since then had increased as many others are still recovering at Jorhat Medical College and Hospital.
He said the people were brought to the hospitals with complaints of severe vomiting and chest pain. “We tried our best, but it was too late,” he said.
“A total of 55 people have been referred to the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital for treatment. Seven of them have died while 48 others were still undergoing treatment,” said the doctors at the Jorhat hospital.
