More Than 120 Dead From Illegal Alcohol in Turkey
At least 124 people have died in the Turkish cities of Ankara and Istanbul in the past six weeks after drinking illegal alcohol.
Dozens of others are in intensive care and fighting for their lives, according to the state news agency Anadolu.
Poisonings with counterfeit alcohol are relatively common in Turkey. Clandestine production is widespread, and illegal alcohol is often contaminated with methanol, a toxic substance that can cause blindness, liver damage and death.
Justice in Ankara arrested 28 suspects in connection with the production and sale of counterfeit alcohol. Most were released on conditional release.
Alcohol has become expensive in Turkey due to the anti-alcohol policy of President Erdogan, a strict Muslim.
