23 people died in Istanbul within 48 hours after drinking contaminated alcohol, authorities said on Wednesday.
At least 43 others have been hospitalized – 32 of them in intensive care – Turkish officials said. Since the beginning of the new year, they said that a total of 34 people have died due to alcohol. Alcohol contaminated with methanol is thought to be the cause.
Methanol is a substance that is often added to alcohol to increase its strength. It is often used in bootleg products instead of ethanol because it is cheaper, according to a study looking at bootleg alcohol in southern Turkey, and it can cause blindness, liver damage and death.
There was no immediate comment from the Turkish Ministry of Health.
The poison from adulterated alcohol is quite good common in Turkeywhere private production increased as the authorities raised taxes on alcoholic beverages.
In 2024, 110 people fell ill after drinking contaminated alcohol in Istanbul, of which 48 died, according to government officials.
Turkey’s anise-flavored national liquor, Raki, is often distilled. The price has risen to around 1,300 lira ($37.20) per liter in supermarkets. On Jan. 1, Turkey raised the national minimum wage to 22,104 lira ($600).
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was elected in 2014 and previously served as prime minister of the country’s ruling party, played a major role in amending Turkey’s alcohol law. Since 2013, Turkey has banned advertisements promoting alcohol, banned alcohol products from sponsoring events, and banned scenes depicting the use of alcohol in the media.
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