15 die of liquor poisoning in Rangpur, Dinajpur

At least 15 people have died of probable ethanol poisoning in Rangpur and Dinajpur between Monday night and Wednesday afternoon.

Nine people died in Badarganj, Mithapukur and Pirganj upazilas of Rangpur and six died in Dinajpur's Birampur and Sadar upazilas, our Dinajpur correspondent reports quoting police.

Eleven more are being treated at different hospitals in Rangpur and Dinajpur with similar complications.  

In Birampur, five people died after consuming local liquor between Tuesday night and this afternoon, said Moniruzzaman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Birampur Police Station.

The deceased are Abdul Motin, Mohsin Ali, Azizul Islam, Shafiqul Islam, and his wife Monjuara Begum.

Another man died at M Abdur Rahim Medical College Hospital in Sadar upazila in the afternoon today. The deceased could not be identified when this report was filed.

Doctors primarily suspect the six died of ethanol poisoning, said Solaiman Hossain Mehedi, a physician at Birampur Upazila Health Complex.

In Rangpur, Nur Islam, Sarwar Hossain and Mostafa Kamal consumed local liquor yesterday and fell sick soon after. They passed away today.

Earlier, in the same district six more people consumed liquor in the morning and died later in the night. Selim Mia, Dula Mia and Lulu Mia died at their homes while three others -- Abdur Razzak, Chandan Kumar and Joydul Haq -- died at Rangpur Medical College Hospital on Monday night.

Rangpur Superintendent of Police Biplop Kumar Sarkar confirmed the incident.