Death toll in hooch tragedy rises to 44

The death toll in the hooch tragedy that hit Ghaziabad and Bulandshahr districts reached 44, officials said here today.

With the death of five more persons in Ghaziabad yesterday, the toll in the district rose to 26, district magistrate R Ramesh Kumar said.

Similarly, three more persons died in Bulandshahr yesterday taking the toll in the district to 18, the officials said.

About 30 more persons from both the districts are still admitted in hospitals in Meerut, Hapur, Garhmukteshwar, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr and Delhi, they said.