Turkey: 20 dead in one week after drinking fake liquor thinking it would stop the Coronavirus

AT LEAST 20 TURKISH PEOPLE HAVE DIED THIS WEEK IN THE TURKISH CAPITAL OF ISTANBUL THROUGH DRINKING ISOPROPANOL AFTER THINKING IT WOULD STOP THEM GETTING INFECTED WITH THE CORONAVIRUS.

The victims, from different parts of the city, were all Turkmenistan nationals and 34 of them have been hospitalised due to the consumption of isopropyl alcohol.

Police said some of the victims also rubbed the toxic substance on their bodies for protection against novel coronavirus.

What is isopropanol?

It is a type of colourless alcohol, not suitable for ingestion, whose main application in relation to Covid-19 is that of a cleaning agent: it leaves little residue and can be used to clean electronic devices and screens. It is also used in hand sanitisers.

The Iranian authorities said that 35 people also died as a result of drinking high-grade alcohol based on the false belief that this is how the coronavirus is killed. A total of 270 are still hospitalised, according to the spokesperson for Medical Sciences of the Jondi Shapur University of Ahvaz, Ali Ehsanpour. Authorities have arrested seven people for selling fake alcohol.