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BETTIAH: At least 16 persons are feared dead in a suspected hooch tragedy in West Champaran on Wednesday. Even as villagers in grief carried out cremations and burials quietly since Wednesday across several villages, the rising death toll since then sparked fearful messages apprehending a larger head count by Thursday evening.
Even as local reporters went on a wild goose hunt in response to the mounting word of mouth reports, TOI was able to gather the names of sixteen suspected casualties by the time of filing this report late on Thursday night.
Champaran Range DIG Lallan Mohan Prasad told TOI that he too had received information that many people had succumbed after consuming hooch at Deorwa Deoraj village under Lauriya police station. We are verifying the report, he guardedly said.