Vijayawada: Doctors who are treating victims of liquor adulteration found that ‘metabolic acidosis’ was the reason behind the deaths and illness. Metabolic acidosis is a condition which occurs when the body produces excessive quantities of acid causing chest pain, headache, severe anxiety, palpitation, abdominal pain, muscle weakness, bone pain and joint pain which forces the affected to collapse in no time.
All the victims who were rushed to the hospital have similar symptoms and among them, the old aged persons died immediately due to failure in functioning of kidneys.
"All of them are suffering severe metabolic acidosis which can cause death. This condition can be due to the liquor they consumed or due to the water they had mixed with it and consumed. Impure water can also cause this condition. The impurity level of the water they had consumed is yet to be known," said a pulmonologist, who is treating the victims, in a private hospital in city. "It affects all the body parts", the doctor added.
Meanwhile, a senior excise official, on condition of anonymity, said alcohol does not cause death. No such deaths have been reported so far, he said. "Consumption of liquor with high-level of alcohol can cause dehydration, nausea and others but not death. We suspect that some substance used in the water cooler might have contaminated the water and that those who consumed it might have been affected," the official added.
Doctors also said that metabolic acidosis is caused due to other factors like high-fat diet, kidney failure, obesity, dehydration, diabetes and methanol poisoning. However, only methanol poisoning, among the above factors, is a quick process that can affect human body. Methanol poisoning can cause acidosis which results in death or coma.
All victims were daily wage workers
All the victims of adulterated liquor were daily wage labourers from Nehru Nagar and Ranadevi Nagar of Krishnalanka in the city. Following the incident, a pall of gloom descended on Krishnalanka as nearly 34 people living in the area fell victims to it.
“All of them go for sand quarrying at 4 am everyday. After returning home, they have liquor to get rid of body pains. They had liquor at at the Bar around 10 am,” said K. Yesu, a neighbour of two of the victims.
A woman grieving for her husband, who is undergoing treatment at GGH, said he attended the marriage of a relative and from there, he directly went to the bar to have liquor along with others, without coming home. Locals complained that Swarna Bar is known for selling illicit liquor and that they had complained about it earlier.
YSRC demands justice for all liquor victims
YSRC leaders blamed Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, his son and TD general secretary N. Lokesh, minister for excise K. Ravindra for the death of seven persons, who consumed adulterated liquor, in Vijayawada on Monday. YSRC district president M. Rajasekhar and party senior leader Ambati Rambabu demanded resignation of minister Ravindra from his Cabinet post.
Mr. Rajasekhar said the chief minister and the minister were collecting money from liquor shop owners and allowing them to do illegal business. He also demanded that the state government should pay Rs 20 lakh ex gratia to the kin of each of the deceased.
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