The incident took place in the village of Wani that is located in the Yavatmal district. According to the relatives, the men drank sanitiser to quench their addiction to alcohol.

The mayor of Wani Tarendra Borde confirmed the news stating that 5 men had died in his village after drinking sanitiser. The deceased have been identified as Datta Lanjewar, Nutan Patharatkar, Ganesh Nandekar, Santosh Meher and Sunil Dhengale.

Datta Lanjewar (47) drank sanitiser around 9 pm last night (April 23) and later started having chest pains at 10 pm when he came home. He was later rushed to Wani Rural Hospital but died during his treatment.

Another man who consumed sanitiser for satiating his alcohol addiction complained of unease and was taken to the rural hospital for treatment. He, too, died, in the wee hours of April 24. Similarly, five other deaths were reported after they had consumed sanitiser in place of alcohol.

According to Vani Police Station Investigating Officer D. Bhadikar, the three men reportedly ran out of their liquor stocks as all wine-shops are shut.

The Maharashtra government on Wednesday night announced strict restrictions in the state due to a huge surge in the cases of COVID-19 cases. The state government has also issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the curbs.

During the nationwide lockdown in July last year, 10 people had died after consuming hand sanitiser in Andhra Pradesh.

Hand sanitisers recommended by experts for COVID-19 prevention contains over 70 per cent alcohol. They are meant for external use only and are toxic if ingested.