One more dies in Karnataka after drinking sanitiser, five others fall ill

Sanitisers contain chemicals and can be fatal if the liquid is imbibed but many alcoholics think that the alcohol content in it can be a substitute for spirits.

One more person died late Sunday night and five others fell ill after drinking hand sanitiser in Karnataka’s Dharwad district, police said.

People desperate for alcohol have taken to drinking sanitisers because wine shops are closed during the lockdown. (REUTERS)

On Sunday morning 45 year-old Basvaraj Venkappa Kurvinakoppa, said to be an alcoholic, had died at Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences in Hubli after drinking sanitiser because alcohol is not available during the lockdown.

Late Sunday night, his elder sister Jambakka Kattimani (47) who had also consumed the sanitiser died. Kalghatgi police station inspector Vijay Biradar said on phone that 13 other people in Gambyapur village are believed to have drunk the sanitiser for its alleged ‘alcohol content.’

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Several people addicted to alcohol are desperate as wine shops have been shut since the lockdown began on March 25 to check the spread of coronavirus.

Inspector Biradar said “We have detained five more of those who drank the sanitiser and have sent them to Kalghatgi Medical Hospital where they are ill but their condition is stable. Search is on for the rest. I request whoever has consumed to come forward and get treated.”

He also appealed to people not to drink sanitiser as it has several chemicals which can prove to be fatal. Basvaraj Venkappa Kurvinkoppa is said to have procured the ‘alcohol laced sanitiser’ from a temporary settlement of Lambani tribals nearby. Kalghatgi police have registered a case and are investigating.