'Toxic' cough syrup: Death toll reaches 40 as 5 more die in Punjab

Eight patients in Gujranwala hospital are in critical condition.

GUJRANWALA: Five more people died in Gujranwala after drinking the 'poisonous' cough syrup, raising the death toll to 40, Express News reported on Saturday.

According to sources in the Civil Hospital, Gujranwala, more than eight patients are in critical condition.

In November, 17 people died after consuming cough syrup Tyno in Lahore, after which pharmacy stores holding stock of this medicine were sealed and some people were arrested.

All the recent victims reportedly consumed a cough syrup being sold under the name ‘Dextromethorphan’. The substance dextromethorphan has been identified as an active ingredient in Tyno cough syrup.

The Gujranwala City District team, along with the police, had conducted raids in medical stores throughout the city.

Around 8, 765 syrup bottles had been confiscated from 96 medical stores out of a total of 224 which had been raided in the area.