Six people lose their lives due to bootleg alcohol in Tekirdağ

* Photo, news : Süleyman Coşkun Bozyel - Tekirdağ / AA

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The number of people who lost their lives in Tekirdağ's Çorlu due to bootleg alcohol has increased to six. 17 people applied to hospitals three days ago due to suspected alcohol poisoning.

In treatment for alcohol poisoning, Mehmet Pamukçu, Sadık Akın Usal, Altuğ Oktay and Nurcihan Engin lost their lives. Afterwards, two other people also lost their lives due to bootleg alcohol.

While 11 people are still in treatment at hospital, five people are reportedly in a critical condition. Five suspects were taken into custody over the incident; two of them have been arrested.

'70 percent of sales price is tax'

Food engineer and bianet columnist Bülent Şık previously commented on the issue for bianet. "I think the most important reason behind the efforts to produce homemade alcohol is that the prices of alcohol are very high," said Şık: "I am of the opinion that the taxes levied on alcoholic beverages are extremely high, they roughly account for 70 percent of sales prices."

Accordingly, Şık underlined that the "the products the sales prices of which are high due to high taxes emerge as an illegitimate business line for the people producing alcoholic beverages in illegal ways."

At this point, Bülent Şık also stressed that "the facilities that sell and offer alcoholic beverages such as hotels, restaurants and taverns might sometimes also turn to what is most profitable for them."

Acknowledging the health hazards of alcoholic beverages, Şık noted that "there are also other factors that need to be taken into account." Referring to socialization, chatting, letting oneself go, taking pleasure and taking pleasure together as some of these factors, Şık said, "We need to include these factors in our viewpoint based on public health or food safety."

Underlining that the prices of alcoholic beverages might be increased by collecting high taxes so that alcohol consumption could be decreased, food engineer Bülent Şık recalled that "not only is it a duty of the relevant authorities to decrease alcohol consumption, but they are also obliged to protect the health of the people who drink alcoholic beverages."

Referring to the "hypocritical approach" of the state, Şık said: "If we are to look at it from a different perspective, air pollution also leads to severe health problems. There are some perpetrators causing this pollution, namely certain businesses and facilities. If we, as a state, do not view air pollution as a problem, but view alcohol and smoking as a much greater problem, then, it means that there is something not functioning, not going right there."

"As a matter of fact, air pollution affects everyone, primarily babies and children, but only the ones who use them are affected by alcohol and smoking. Even though it is known by everyone, I have never seen that the facilities polluting the air are faced with as high taxes as alcoholic beverages, just as I have never seen that they are imposed other financial sanctions." (AS/SD)