Chandigarh/Amritsar: At least 17 people died and six were hospitalised after consuming spurious liquor in Majithia area of Punjab's Amritsar district, police said on Tuesday.

Police investigations revealed that methanol was procured in bulk online to prepare the toxic intoxicant. Methanol is a light, colourless organic chemical compound often deliberately and illegally added to alcoholic beverages as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, which is the normal consumable alcohol. Most of those who died were daily wage labourers, officials said.