Two more people died on Sunday after drinking fake Turkish raki, the national alcoholic beverage, bringing the death toll to 19, the state-run Anatolian news agency said. The poisonings began on Feb. 28 when drinkers fell ill at an Istanbul restaurant, losing consciousness or suffering temporary blindness. Others were poisoned after purchasing raki, a strong aniseed-flavoured alcohol, at grocery stores. Sunday's deaths occurred at two Istanbul hospitals. Nearly all of the fatally poisoned drinkers were in Istanbul, while one person died in the northwestern city of Bursa. Sixteen people remain in hospital after falling ill, private news channel CNN Turk said. Police suspect the lethal batch came from a makeshift Istanbul distillery, the owner of which was also killed. Police raided four more bootleg liquor factories in Istanbul and arrested 12 people on Sunday, Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler said. Authorities have confiscated more than 7,600 bottles of fake raki across the country in recent days, Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu was quoted as saying.
