The Hindu : Front Page : Methanol drink turns fatal for two

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Friday, Jan 09, 2009
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Methanol drink turns fatal for two

Staff Reporter

Hyderabad: Reported consumption of diluted methanol for relaxation resulted in the death of two lorry cleaners from Tamil Nadu at Gagan Pahad of Shamshabad on Thursday.

Also known as methyl alcohol, methanol is mainly used for making chemicals and as common laboratory solvent though some people drink it as a substitute for liquor.

While Arun Raju, 30, was found dead inside the lorry after Wednesday midnight, his co-worker, Arlappa, 40, died on the way to hospital after developing complications a few hours later.

The lorry driver, Xavier, told the police that he stopped the lorry at Gagan Pahad two days ago as part of the nation-wide strike by truck operators. “We understand the two lorry cleaners used to pilfer methanol while transporting loads of it and consume it now and then,” Shamshabad ACP S. Muralidhar told reporters.

Vomiting on roadside

The lorry driver maintained that he saw Raju vomiting on roadside around 10 p.m. A couple of hours later, he was found dead lying on his back inside the lorry cabin. Three hours later, Arlappa, who too is believed to have consumed methanol, complained of giddiness. He died while being taken to hospital around 4 a.m.

The two victims hail from Chellampalladi village in Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu.

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