Thirty-three dead, 50 hospitalized after drinking methanol in Turkey
Jan 17, 2025
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According to foreign media such as The Sun, more than 80 casualties have been caused by suspected methanol poisoning in Istanbul, Turkiye.
Authorities said the victims drank alcohol with methanol, a toxic industrial chemical, instead of ethanol found in regular alcohol.
Istanbul's governor announced that he had arrested four suspects for selling 'fake liquor' and charged them with 'deliberate murder'.
Since the beginning of this year, authorities have confiscated as much as 29 tons of impurity-mixed alcohol and closed 64 businesses for violations.
But shopkeepers claim the source of the problem is the sky-high 'ju tax', which is driving people to bootleg production.
Authorities are continuing further investigations by cracking down on smuggling manufacturing, distributing, and selling businesses.
President Erdogan Turkiye, a conservative Muslim, has long banned drinking and smoking.
Some argue that his tough stance on alcohol and heavy taxes are fueling dangerous and illegal trafficking production and consumption.
According to local reports, 17 people died, 22 were hospitalized and only seven were discharged after drinking wheat in Istanbul last month.
Last year, 48 people died in Istanbul alone after drinking alcohol containing methanol.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
