Suspected methanol poisoning kills 33 in Turkey with 48 in hospital as 4 who ‘sold tainted drinks arrested for homicide’
A SUSPECTED methanol poisoning has killed 33 people in Istanbul with 48 more hospitalised, it has been reported.
Authorities say the victims had alcohol spiked with methanol, a toxic industrial chemical, instead of ethanol, the type found in regular alcoholic drinks.
Four suspects accused of selling the lethal drinks have been arrested and charged with "intentional homicide," Istanbul's governorate announced Thursday evening.
Since the start of the year, officials have seized a staggering 29 tonnes of adulterated alcohol and shut down 64 businesses for violations.
But store owners say the root of the problem is sky-high alcohol taxes, which they claim are pushing people toward bootleg production.
Investigations are ongoing.
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Last year, methanol-laced drinks killed 48 people in Istanbul alone, as underground distilleries scramble to meet demand fueled by government levies.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a devout Muslim often accused of trying to impose conservative values on society, has long railed against drinking and smoking.
Critics argue his tough stance on alcohol, coupled with heavy taxes, is driving the spike in dangerous, illegal booze.
Last month, 17 people were killed and 22 hospitalized in Istanbul after drinking bootleg alcohol, with just seven discharged, according to local reports.
Police launched a crackdown on illegal booze operations, raiding districts including Sisli, Beyoglu, Fatih, and Esenyurt.
Eight suspects were arrested in connection with the deadly drinks.
On December 5, police confiscated 516 bottles of illegal alcohol during raids in the Fatih and Sultangazi districts.
A tobacco shop owner, where the counterfeit booze was found, was taken into custody.
It comes after six people died from methanol poisoning in November after drinking tainted alcohol while in Vang Vieng, Laos.
A vodka and whisky factory believed to be the source of a deadly batch of drinks that killed six backpackers has been closed by Laos police.
Simone White, a 28-year-old lawyer from London, was one of the victims fatally poisoned by methanol whilst partying in the traveller hotspot Vang Vieng.
Police have arrested the owner of the factory that pumped out cheap local liquors known as Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whisky and banned the sale of the drinks, according to ABC.
The run-down site outside the capital city Vientiane has been shutdown by authorities until it sorts out its production process.
At the now-abandoned factory blue drapes have been placed over stacks of empty bottles and Tiger Whisky packaging lay beside an extinguished fire outside.
The six poisoning victims were all staying at Nana Backpackers Hostel, where eight staff have also been arrested after reportedly refusing to call an ambulance for the dying guests.
Among the victims were Danish friends Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Vennervald, 21, who died after they were left "vomiting blood" for 13 hours.
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Also killed were best friends Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19, from Melbourne.
The pair became ill and failed to check out of their rooms on November 13 after a night drinking at Nana’s hostel and the nearby Jaidee Bar.
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Why is methanol so deadly?
By Sam Blanchard, Health Correspondent
METHANOL is a super-toxic version of alcohol that may be present in drinks if added by crooks to make them stronger or if they are brewed or distilled badly.
The consequences can be devastating because as little as a single shot of contaminated booze could be deadly, with just 4ml of methanol potentially enough to cause blindness.
Prof Oliver Jones, a chemist at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, said: “The body converts methanol to formic acid.
“Formic acid blocks the action of an enzyme that is critical to how the body uses oxygen to generate energy.
“If it stops working, cells cannot take up or use oxygen from the blood and lack of oxygen causes problems in a range of organs as the cells start to die.
“Symptoms of methanol poisoning include vomiting, seizures and dizziness.
“The optic nerve seems to be particularly vulnerable to methanol toxicity, so there is the potential for temporary or permanent blindness, and even death.
“While thankfully rare, methanol poisoning is very serious, and treatment should be given at a hospital.”
An unexpected but key way of treating methanol poisoning is to get the patient drunk with normal alcohol - known as ethanol - to distract the liver and stop it processing the methanol.