nationals were also among the dead
At least 22 people lost their lives and 16 were admitted to the hospital in serious condition after consuming bootleg alcohol here in Istanbul.
The deaths were identified by the authorities as the crackdown against counterfeit drinks intensifies across Turkey amidst the new year’s holiday season.
According to a local government office in Istanbul, eleven of the dead were foreign nationals whereas 5 of the hospitalized individuals were not of Turkish descent. The authorities did not reveal the identities of the victims and the hospitalized people.
Four people have been arrested in connection with the death due to bootleg alcohol.
According to the Anadolu agency, “up to 26 individuals have lost their lives in the past four days because of bootleg alcohol in 9 different provinces of Turkey including Istanbul.”
According to the authorities, “a nationwide operation to crack down on bootleg alcohol production, conducting raids on about 300 locations and seizing thousands of liters of counterfeit alcohol. At least 85 suspects were detained.”
Deaths by bootleg alcohol consumption are not uncommon in Turkey as because of the rising inflation and derailing economy, people barge into consuming cheap drinks or homemade alcohol beverages as the renowned alcohol drink prices go out of reach.
Methanol alcohol poisoning is on a new high across the country. The government’s taxation policies and regulation of alcohol consumption are thrusting alcohol prices to an all-time high which is making it go out of the reach of the common man. This vicious circle results in people reverting to homemade booze or bootleg alcohol which leads to deaths in many cases.
Turkey has been facing a crisis after the devaluation of the currency as the economy continues to suffer and struggles to stand back on its feet.
Common man resolutely views alcohol consumption as a cheap choice of joy but even that has started to be counted as a luxury because of the hefty taxation and other price increment resulting in more and more people opting for bootleg alcohol.
