Guwahati, February 25: Death toll in hooch tragedy in Assam mounted to 145 on Monday while over 300 people are undergoing a treatment at different hospitals. The incident came to light last Thursday when a number of labourers of two tea estates in Golaghat and Jorhat districts fell ill after drinking the spurious liquor. As many as 12 of them had died the same night. According to reports, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed that the number of deaths and people being admitted is changing minute to minute. So far, the police have arrested 12 people, including the owners of the illegal country-made liquor factory, in Jugibaari area near the garden. Assam Hooch Tragedy: 17 Dead After Consuming Illicit Liquor in Golaghat, Several Taken Ill. 

The tragedy in Assam is the second major hooch tragedy in the country in less than two weeks. Earlier, at least 100 people had died in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand after drinking spurious liquor. The deaths were reported from Saharanpur, and Kushinagar districts in Uttar Pradesh, and Haridwar in Uttarakhand. Hooch Tragedy in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand: Spurious Liquor Kills Over Two Dozen People.

Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal met the affected at Jorhat Medical College Hospital (JMCH) and announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those who fell ill.  According to reports, the hospital authorities have also been instructed to provide food for the attendants of the hooch victims, besides the mandatory health care facilities and medicines.

.In order to ensure that there is no shortage of doctors in attending to the patients, medical professionals have been rushed to Jorhat and Golaghat from Assam Medical College Hospital, Dibrugarh, Gauhati Medical College Hospital, and Tezpur Medical College Hospital, Sonitpur.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 25, 2019 08:54 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).