Fake alcohol warning after 100 die from poisoning in popular tourist spot
The price of alcoholic drinks has rocketed in recent years
Troov
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A warning has been issued after more than 100 people have died from poisoning by bootleg alcohol in Turkey.
The deaths happened in Ankara and Istanbul, NTV reported on Friday, after authorities warned about rising sales of illicit booze being passed off as big name brands.
In Istanbul, 70 people died from the poisoning since January 14, NTV said. Another 33 have died in the capital Ankara since the start of the year, NTV said, citing Ankara governor Vasip Sahin.
Another 230 people in the two cities have been hospitalised, the broadcaster said. Of those in hospitals, 40 were in a critical condition, NTV said.
The price of alcoholic beverages has rocketed in recent years due to heavy taxes imposed by President Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted ruling AK Party. Alcoholic drinks makers have also faced an increasingly onerous tax burden and other restrictions.
The high costs have pushed some consumers and shops, restaurants, and bars to rely on bootleg alcohol and homemade drinks, leading to rising poisoning in recent years.
The government again hiked taxes on alcohol and tobacco products for 2025 on January 3. The office of Istanbul‘s governor could not immediately be reached for comment.
Last month, the Istanbul governor’s office said it had taken steps to combat bootleg sales and distribution, including mandatory cameras at shops selling alcohol, suspending or revoking sale licences, and carrying out regular inspections.
Authorities have arrested 13 people in Ankara and 11 others in Istanbul, NTV said, citing the local governors. They have seized 102 tons of methanol and ethanol in Ankara, and over 86,000 litres of bootleg or smuggled alcohol in Istanbul, it added.
The warning comes a few months after Six people, including a British backpacker, died allegedly after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos.
British backpacker and lawyer Simone White, 28, from Orpington in Kent was among those to have died from suspected methanol poisoning after allegedly being served free drinks in Laos‘s Vang Vieng area.
Two Danes, two Australians and an American have also died after being taken to the hospital with similar symptoms.
Homemade alcohol, popular in southeast Asia, may accidentally contain too much methanol because of the distillation process. Or it may be used as a cheap substitute for ethanol – effectively a counterfeit alcoholic drink.
