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TN hooch toll rises to 15

The toll in Wednesday's hooch tragedy at Putlur village in Thiruvalore district in Tamil Nadu, rose to 15 today with four more people succumbing to the killer brew in hospital.

According to information received at the state police headquarters, the four identified as Ravikumar (25), Manickaraj (52), Krishnamurthy (52) and Venu (60) died at the Thiruvalore government hospital.

The police said 44 others are still undergoing treatment; the condition of two of them is critical.

Though official sources maintained that the toll is only 12, eyewitnesses told UNI that panchayat offiicial Nithyanandam and two of his associates also died after consuming the killer brew. The tragedy occurred when those who gathered to condole Nithyanandam's death consumed the liquor.

This is the second major hooch tragedy in Tamil Nadu in the last year. In August, 41 people died in Hosur after consuming a killer brew mixed with methanol stolen from a tanker.

UNI

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