New Delhi  - At least 14 people including two women were killed after drinking illegally brewed poisonous alcohol in India's north-eastern state of Assam, a news report said Sunday.

The deaths occurred in the Saboti area in the Lakhimpur district, some 400 kilometres east of state capital Guwahati, Saturday night, the PTI news agency reported quoting official sources.

Thirteen villagers who were seriously ill after consuming the alcohol were admitted to different state-run hospitals in the area. Doctors said the death toll could rise.

Illicit liquor is a thriving business in India because it is much cheaper than legal alcohol, but bad brews cause scores of deaths each year, mostly in the eastern and southern regions. dpa