Twenty-three people in Istanbul died in 48 hours after drinking tainted alcohol, authorities said Wednesday.
At least 43 others were hospitalized – 32 of them in intensive care – Turkish officials said. Since the beginning of the new year, they said a total of 34 people have died as a result of illegal alcohol. Alcohol with methanol is thought to be the cause.
Methanol is a substance that is often added to alcohol to increase its potency. It’s often used in illegally produced products instead of ethanol because it’s cheaper, according to a study that looked at it illegally produced alcohol in southern Turkeyand can cause blindness, liver damage and death.
There was no immediate comment from the Turkish Ministry of Health.
Poisonings from adulterated alcohol are quite common common in Turkeywhere private production increased as the authorities increased taxes on alcoholic beverages.
In 2024, 110 people fell ill after consuming tainted alcohol in Istanbul, 48 of whom died, according to government officials.
Turkey’s national anise-flavored drink, Raki, is most commonly counterfeited. The price has jumped to around 1,300 lira ($37.20) per liter in supermarkets. On January 1, Turkey increased the country’s 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 an important role in amendments to the Turkish alcohol law. Since 2013, Turkey has banned advertisements promoting alcohol, banned alcohol brands from sponsoring events, and banned scenes depicting alcohol use in the media.
