When Sunil Kiro enjoyed some moonshine to unwind after a hard day’s work at a tea estate in India’s northeastern Assam State, he had no idea he would never be able to see again.
He was among an estimated 500 victims of a tragedy that swept the region on Feb. 20 when 160 people died and others were left per-manently blind, or with other serious health issues such as damaged kidneys or livers, as a result of locally brewed alcohol that proved toxic to their systems.
“Now I am surrounded by darkness. I have to identify people from their voice,” said the 38-year-old, who lives in Jorhat district under Dibrugarh Diocese. The deaths in Assam occurred few days back after 100 people died from drinking illegal liquor made with house-hold disinfectants and anti-freeze in two other Indian states.
There are about six million people working the tea gardens of Assam, making up 17% of the state’s 31 million population, according to Catholic leaders in the region.
