Istanbul toll from tainted alcohol rises to 19 dead in 48 hours
ISTANBUL
Nineteen people who drank tainted alcohol in Istanbul have died in the past 48 hours, with dozens more being treated for poisoning, the Anadolu news agency reported Wednesday.
The figure updated a number given late Tuesday when Anadolu said 11 people had died in 24 hours. It said another 43 people were being treated in hospital.
In a statement late Tuesday, the Istanbul governorate said 110 people fell ill after drinking tainted alcohol in 2024, of which 48 had died.
Alcohol tainted with methanol is thought to be the cause, methanol being a toxic substance that can be added to liquor to increase its potency but which can cause blindness, liver damage and death.
Local authorities in Istanbul have closed 63 businesses selling counterfeit alcohol, İstanbul governor has said.
"A total of 63 companies selling fake alcohol had their licenses revoked and shut down. We are identifying all those who sell bootleg or counterfeit alcohol and bring them to justice. Please take notice, death toll is rising,” Governor Davut Gül said in a social media post.
Counterfeit alcohol-related deaths have been a recurring issue in Türkiye, especially around the New Year, with a significant number of poisoning cases and fatalities reported.
The most commonly faked product is rakı, Türkiye's aniseed-flavoured national liquor.
The local authorities are working to combat the consumption of bootleg and counterfeit alcohol, with police recently apprehending two individuals involved in producing fake alcohol.