A total of seven people have died on Wednesday morning in Howrah district of West Bengal after allegedly consuming spurious liquor at an illicit hooch joint.

According to reports, six more people have been admitted to a nearby hospital and several of them are in critical condition.

"As many as seven people died and several others fell ill today morning. Prima facie, it appears that the incident happened after consuming illegal liquor in Howrah,” Howrah Police Commissioner Praveen Kumar Tripathi told ANI.

"Six people are under medical treatment in a hospital. The exact cause of death can be ascertained after post-mortem," he added.

The exact cause of the incident is yet to be ascertained, police said, adding that an investigation into the matter is underway.

Last week, the death of four persons allegedly due to the consumption of spurious liquor in West Bengal's Bardhaman district, triggered panic among the people. While the police maintained that they were awaiting details of the postmortem, raids were held at several hotels and eateries in the town.