Fifth Russian woman dies in Turkish alcohol poisoning

Viktoria Nikolaeva, who was among a group of Russian tourists poisoned by bootleg whiskey in the Turkish resort city of Bodrum, died at a Turkish hospital, a source in the administration of Rostov Veliky, Yaroslavl Region, said on Monday. Some 20 Russian tourists were hospitalized with severe alcohol poisoning in Bodrum in late May on their return from a sailing tour organized by a local company. Four of them died. Viktoria Nikolaeva was diagnosed as brain-dead on June 20. "Her parents will bring her body back home, and the funeral will probably be on Friday," the spokesman said. The methyl alcohol content in the fake whiskey, called Mister Burdon, was three times higher than normal, the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture said in an official statement. According to Turkish officials, a company called Jasmine imported the fake whiskey into Turkey from northern Cyprus. Some 12,000 bottles of the bogus whiskey were sold at local markets. The Turkish Tourism Ministry said that it would step up measures to assure tourist security at Turkish resorts. Local tourist companies will now be obliged to inform tourists about places where they can buy good quality alcohol and food.