Five persons died and 27 others were hospitalised after consuming methanol at Palair village in Kusumanchi mandal of Khammam district, excise officials said today.
Some villagers on Friday night consumed methanol, an industrial alcohol which in odour and colour resembles liquor but may cause serious damage, they said.
Those who consumed methanol were hospitalised and five of them died while undergoing treatment yesterday. But timely action by district authorities saved many lives, an official release said.
The Commissioner of Prohibition and Excise, Ahmad Nadeem, and Director of Enforcement (Prohibition and Excise), Suryaprakash Rao, visited the village today and consoled the families of the deceased and also met the other patients at the hospital, the release added.