Two die after consuming surgical spirit in Kerala's Kollam district

Kollam: Two persons died and and two were in serious condition on Wednesday after they allegedly consumed surgical spirit procured from a private hospital at Pathanapuram near here, police said.

Police saidMuruganandan and Prasad died at a hospital here where they were admitted after they consumed the spirit on Tuesday night.

Two others, Rajeev and Gopi, are in serious condition.

”It seems like Muruganandan had taken the spirit, diluted it and drank itwith his friends.This is what we understand from the preliminary investigation,” Kollam Rural SP K B Ravi said.

Meanwhile, Gopi gave a statementto the Excise department that Muruganandan was working as a security guard at a private hospital, which was closed and reopened recently for handling COVID-19 cases.

He said it was Muruganandan who brought the spirit from the hospital, according to police.

Hospital staff said some quantity of spirit used to clean hospital equipment was found missing.

Police suspect that four of them consumed the spirit since liquor was unavailable in the state due to the lockdown.