Lured by dirt-cheap alcohol, the victims of the Malwani hooch tragedy ended up paying the highest cost of all – the toxic booze has claimed 64 lives so far, while another 85 people are under treatment.

As of Thursday night, the death toll stood at 15 on Thursday night but escalated quickly yesterday, after 40 to 50 more people were admitted to different hospitals with the same complaints of stomach ache, breathlessness and vision problems.