ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least thirty people have died in three days in Istanbul after consuming tainted alcohol. Many people blamed the deaths on high prices at liquor shops.
Nearly 50 people have been hospitalized, of whom 30 are in critical condition, according to Turkish officials.
Methanol, which is believed to be the cause of deaths, is often deliberately and illegally added to alcoholic beverages as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, but it can cause devastating effects on the human body, including liver damage, blindness, and death.
More consumers are turning to homemade or bootleg alcohol after prices began to rise because of inflation and higher government taxes.
"Because alcohol prices are very high, people can't afford to drink anymore. I mean, you can't tell people not to drink, but they are forced to drink anyway. What do they do in this situation?" said Soner Arkan, a liquor store owner in Istanbul.
"When prices are very high, people drink wherever they find cheap alcohol," he said.
Death and illness due to tainted alcohol in Turkey are not unusual. At least 34 people have died from the effects of bootleg alcohol since the beginning of the year.
In 2024, government officials reported that 110 people in Istanbul fell ill from drinking tainted alcohol and 48 of them died.
Turkey's national anise-flavored liquor, raki, is the most commonly counterfeited alcoholic beverage. The price of raki has soared to around 1,300 lira ($37.20) per liter in supermarkets. Turkey raised the minimum wage to 22,104 lira ($600) on January 1.
"The government isn't doing enough about this situation. If they did, so many people wouldn't lose their lives," said Serpil, a resident of Istanbul.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been influential in changing the country’s alcohol-related laws. Since 2013, Turkey has imposed restrictions on alcohol advertising, banned alcoholic brands from event sponsorships, and prohibited the portrayal of alcohol consumption in the media.
Rekar Aziz contributed to this report.
