Judge: Jail sellers of toxic cough syrup

LAHORE, Pakistan, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A Pakistani judge has ordered three Pakistani drugstore owners jailed for allegedly selling toxic cough syrup.

The magistrate ordered that the three men, identified only by their first names, be held for four days while authorities investigate the deaths of at least 17 people, most of them drug addicts who drank Tyno cough syrup to get high, Geo News reported Tuesday.

The factory where the cough syrup was produced has been closed while authorities conduct a homicide investigation.

All the deaths occurred in low-income neighborhoods of a Lahore suburb, authorities said.

Several victims remain hospitalized in serious condition.