Turkey remands 40 suspects over alcohol poisoning

At least 40 suspects were remanded into custody over suspected links to a wave of alcohol poisoning in Turkey that killed at least 72 people, the country's Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

In a statement, the ministry said that a total of 100 suspects were arrested over the incident.

Turkish security forces carried out a total of 2,430 operations against counterfeit alcohol production this year, the statement added.

This year, police and gendarmerie seized over 1 million liters and 220,911 bottles of counterfeit alcohol in several operations.

The ministry said that the counterfeit alcohol was produced from store-bought surface cleaners and products labeled with ethyl alcohol with high methanol content.

Police and gendarmerie teams seized 161,062 liters and 6,102 bottles of counterfeit alcoholic beverages in operations between Oct. 5 and Oct. 23, the statement added.

Since Oct. 9, at least 31 people have died due to consumption of bootleg alcohol in Turkey's Aegean Izmir province, along with many others in Istanbul, the western Aydin province, central Kirikkale, southern Mersin, northwestern Kirklareli, Aegean Mugla and the northern Zonguldak and Trabzon provinces.

Bootleg alcohol, made with methyl alcohol instead of ethyl alcohol, is severely hazardous to health. Its consumption can cause permanent blindness and often proves fatal.