Suspected methanol poisoning has reportedly claimed the lives of 33 people in Istanbul this week, following the consumption of tainted alcohol, while 48 others were hospitalized for treatment.
Authorities say the victims had alcohol spiked with methanol, a toxic industrial chemical, instead of ethanol, the type found in regular alcoholic drinks.
According to Turkey’s state news agency, four people believed to have sold contaminated alcoholic drinks were arrested for ‘intentional homicide’, the city’s governorate said in a statement this evening.
Since January 1, authorities have seized 29 tonnes of adulterated alcohol in Istanbul while 64 businesses have had their licenses revoked, the governorate added.
Store owners have blamed the government for this wave of deaths, arguing that high taxes on alcohol encourage bootleg home distilling.
This comes less than a month after 17 people were k!lled and 22 hospitalized in Istanbul after drinking bootleg alcohol, with just seven discharged, according to local reports.
