Bootleg liquor death toll rises in Turkey's northwest

TEKİRDAĞ

The death toll from bootleg alcohol has risen to 12 in the northwestern province of Tekirdağ’s Çorlu district, while seven people are still being treated in intensive care unit for alcohol poisoning.

Two more men, named Vedat Bektaş and Ahmet Ataman, died on July 5 of alcohol poisoning in Çorlu, an industrial town that has been hit by a string of deaths linked to bootleg liquor.

The first fatality was reported last week, and the victim was identified as Ikhlague Hussam, a Pakistani national. He was found unconscious on a street on June 24 and was taken to hospital, but lost his life due to bootleg alcohol consumption.

Following the incident, at least 25 people were hospitalized for consuming bootleg liquor. Seven people still remain in intensive care units, two of whom remain intubated, while others have been discharged from hospital after treatment.

A police investigation has discovered that all the victims bought the bootleg liquor from the same vendor.

Six people were arrested in connection with the bootleg alcohol, including the supplier who claimed he smuggled the drinks into the country from Bulgaria.

At least 100 people in 14 provinces died of alcohol poisoning within the space of 80 days last year.

The astronomical rise in the prices of alcoholic beverages has encouraged fraudsters and has led people to indeterminate liquids produced in illegal laboratories.

Methyl alcohol, which is highly fatal if consumed, is being sold in these illegal laboratories in the name ethyl alcohol, which is required to make alcoholic beverages.