The Vypin alcohol poisonings killed an estimated 77 people in 1982 in
Vypin
Vypin (Malayalam: വൈപ്പിന്, Cochin Portuguese: Isla Santa) is one of the group of islands that form part of the city of Kochi (Cochin), in the Indian state of Kerala. Vypin forms a barrier island which lies between the Ar ...
near
Kochi
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n state of
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
. Hundreds of people, mostly fish workers and other labour people, drank spurious liquor supplied by several Government-licensed
arrack
Arrack is a distilled alcoholic drink typically produced in India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, made from the fermented sap of coconut flowers or sugarcane, and also with grain (e.g. red rice) or fruit depending upon the country of origin ...
shops.
The tragedy occurred on the
Onam
Onam ( ) is an annual Indian harvest festival celebrated predominantly by the Hindus of Kerala. A major annual event for Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events.
Onam commemorates Vamana ...
day of 1982 and killed 77 people, blinded 63, crippled 15 and reduced nearly 650 families were to penury.
When victims of this killer brew were hospitalized, doctors identified signs of methanol poisoning.
See also
List of alcohol poisonings in India
This is a partial list of alcohol poisonings in India. These incidents are often – but not exclusively – associated with methanol poisoning of the victims, where toxic methyl alcohol is used as a cheap way, as compared to the proper u ...
References
Crime in Kerala
1982 crimes in India
Alcohol-related deaths in India
History of Kochi
History of Kerala (1947–present)
Alcohol in Kerala
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