13 victims, thought to be asleep, were brought in dead by their families

AS the death toll in the hooch tragedy rose to 56 on Sunday, doctors at the Kallakurichi Government Medical College Hospital revealed that as many as 13 victims were brought dead to the hospital by their family members.

- SINDUJA JANE

"The families thought the deceased were sleeping after imbibing hooch and went to work. When they returned in the evening, they saw the news reports and rushed their loved ones to the hospital," a senior doctor at the hospital recounted.

One among the 11 new medical college hospitals in the state, Kallakurichi GH had 120 victims under treatment by Saturday afternoon, of which five were in critical condition. Hospital staff initially (on Tuesday) managed to handle the situation owing to their experience in treating victims of the 2023 Marakkanam hooch tragedy, doctors said.