Thirty-seven people have died in Istanbul in six weeks after consuming adulterated alcohol, the Istanbul governor's office announced on Monday.
"37 people lost their lives, 77 people were poisoned, including 17 who continue to receive treatment due to the consumption of adulterated alcohol since November 1, 2024," he said on X.
Fourteen people suspected of having sold the alcohol that caused these deaths have been taken into custody, he added.
Alcohol poisoning is common in Türkiye, with clandestine production having grown with the explosion of taxes on alcoholic beverages.
By the end of 2021, at least twenty-five people had died in a few days in several provinces of the country. Around forty others had died of poisoning a year earlier.
Raki, the national alcohol, costs around 1,300 Turkish lira (around 35 euros) per litre in the supermarket, in a country where the minimum wage is capped at 17,000 lira (465 euros).
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accused by his opponents of wanting to Islamize society, has repeatedly taken a stand against the consumption of alcohol and tobacco.
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