VIJAYAWADA: Five people died and 21 others hospitalised after consuming spurious liquor in a bar at Krishna Lanka area of Vijayawada on Monday. Condition of five people hospitalised is reported serious.
At around 9:30 a.m., a group of three people had come out after consuming the liquor in Swarna Bar of M Hotel in Krishna Lanka. One of them collapsed on the road, few feet from the bar while other collapsed some distance away on the same road. The last one of the group had collapsed in the bylane near the bar.
When the locals approached them and found them to be dead, they immediately alerted the police, who rushed to the place. When the news of the deaths at the bar spread in the locality, it sort of created panic like situation.
Even as police higher officials have rushed to the spot, with reports emerging that more than dozen people have died after consuming liquor, two more people in the area were found dead and were shifted to the hospital by the police. With several people in the locality, who had consumed liquor at Swarna Bar becoming ill, they were rushed to government general hospital.
With government general hospital found wanting for proper equipment and expertise, as many as 17 people brought for treatment were shifted to private hospitals - Andhra Hospital, Sentini Hospital and Ramesh Hospital - for better treatment. Condition of five of those undergoing treatment at those hospitals was reported to be serious.
The deceased in the incident were identified as Akula Vijaya Kumar, Narasa Gopi, Meesala Mahesh, Munagala Sankar Rao and NBBV Nancharaiah. All of them are residents of Nehru Nagar and Ranadive Nagar areas of Krishna Lanka and most of them were daily wage earners.
It is learnt that ten more people from Krishna Lanka area were admitted to private hospital for treatment. However, officials have not confirmed the same. Some, who have consumed liquor in other bars in the city were also reported to check themselves into the hospital out of fear.
Meanwhile, state government had ordered for an inquiry into the incident and district administration was directed to provide better treatment to the victims with government bearing medical expenses. District collector Babu A personally supervised the shifting of the spurious liquor victims to private hospitals for better treatment.
“The incident is very unfortunate. We will inquire into it and take action against those responsible, whoever they maybe. Officials were also asked to conduct inspection of all liquor shops and bars and test samples to determine quality. If anything found out of order, we will initiate action,” Excise Minister Kollu Ravindra told mediapersons after visiting those undergoing treatment at the government hospital.
Additional DGP RP Thakur, police commissioner D Gautam Sawang and other police officials visited the government hospital. Later in the day, eight people including manager of Swarna Bar Ramana Rao was taken into custody. It is learnt that police are also questioning the relatives of former MLA and Congress leader Malladi Vishnu, who were said to be owners of the hotel and bar.
However, Vishnu denied to have anything to do with either hotel or bar. Cases were registered and investigation is under progress.