Two German teens die from spiked Turkish drinks

Berlin — Two more German students have died from brain damage after consuming drinks probably spiked with methanol on a school trip in Turkey, a hospital in northern Germany said Monday.

The pair, aged 17 and 19, suffered "very heavy brain damage with the complete and irreversible collapse of all brain functions," a statement from the university clinic in Luebeck said.

Doctors had battled to save the pair since a group of German school students took part in the deadly drinking bout in Antalya in southern Turkey in late March.

They were flown from Antalya to Germany on life-support machines and in a deep coma, the hospital said.

One 21-year-old had already died from methanol poisoning. Four others were also poisoned but were released from hospital in Turkey.

"Our deepest sympathy and shock goes to the family and friends of the two young men," said Jens Scholz, the chairman of the university hospital.

In 2005, 22 people died, mainly in Istanbul, from a contaminated version of the Turkish national drink Raki, sparking a panic in bars throughout the country.

More recently, five people were found dead in similar circumstances in Bursa, just west of Istanbul.

AFP/Expatica