ANKARA - Five people have died after drinking counterfeit raki, a traditional Turkish drink made of aniseed, Turkish media reports said.
Four of the victims were among several people who drank the illegally produced raki in a restaurant in Istanbul`s European quarter, the Anatolia news agency reported.
The owner of the restaurant was also among the casualties.
City health officials said some 15 people have been hospitalized after the incident and that several of them were in serious condition.
Police raided a car wash where the counterfeit alcohol was produced and detained an unidentified number of suspects, the Anatolia news agency reported.
In a separate incident, a 51-year-old man died after consuming a bottle of raki he bought from his local supermarket also on the European side of Istanbul, the agency said.
03/01/2005 11:44 GMT