Rise in deaths from bootleg alcohol continues

ISTANBUL

The rise in deaths from bootleg alcohol resumed as the nationwide death toll hit 75 with nine new fatalities, with authorities stepping up their efforts to bust manufacturers and traders ahead of New Year’s Eve.

Five people died and two others were hospitalized in the intensive care unit after consuming bootleg liquor in the Central Anatolian province of Çorum.

Four more people lost their lives after drinking bootleg alcohol in the Mediterranean province of Mersin’s Muş district while one still in serious condition at the state hospital.

Police raids in the Central Anatolian province of Çorum confiscated more than two tons of bootleg alcohol, along with aniseed kits used in production liquor.