More than 40 people have died in Bangladesh after drinking a batch of cheap home-made alcohol, police say.

About 100 others fell ill from the potent brew after a lengthy drinking session, and officials fear more people may die.

Police said the victims were from the town of Feni, 200km (125 miles) south-east of the capital Dhaka, and surrounding villages.

One town official said that, although drinking alcohol is illegal in Bangladesh, people often make cheap brews containing large amounts of methylated spirit.

More than 100 people died after a similar drinking session last year in Narsingdi town, 50km (30 miles) north-east of Dhaka.

The Feni regional district chief, quoted by the official BSS news agency, said: "Some deaths might go unreported as the victims' relatives are hiding the bodies, fearing social stigma."

Doctors have warned that anyone who consumed 30 millilitres of the toxic liquor could take up to 12 days to fall ill. Others, who drank less, still risked losing their eyesight.

BSS reported that the government had ordered a senior district magistrate to investigate the circumstances surrounding the 43 deaths.

Police in Feni have reportedly arrested a local homeopathy doctor suspected of being the source of the contaminated alcohol.