Image copyright EPA

Police in Mexico are searching for the source of adulterated alcohol which has killed 46 people in the states of Morelos and Puebla.

People started falling ill on Sunday.

Some said they had bought and drunk alcohol to celebrate Mother's Day; others had attended a funeral where alcohol was passed around.

The authorities have warned people who may have drunk the adulterated alcohol and who have headaches or stomach aches, to seek medical help.

Officials said 29 people had died in the central state of Morelos and another 17 in neighbouring Puebla state.

One of the worst affected is the indigenous community of Telixtac, many of whom took part in Mother's Day celebrations on Sunday in the village of Axochiapan.

Locals said that alcohol was sold at various tents during the celebration and investigators have been sent to the village to find its source.

Those affected said they suffered from headaches, vomiting and sight loss.

The mayor of Chiconcuautla, another affected community, urged locals not to drink until the source had been found.

"Don't drink alcohol, we need to identify all the points of sale in the communities and find the adulterated liquor as well as those responsible, Artemio Hernández Garrido posted on Facebook.

He also dismissed rumours that those taken sick had contracted coronavirus. "The deaths are due to adulterated alcohol," he said.

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