Luebeck, Germany  - Two more German students died from drinking tainted alcohol during a holiday in Turkey, bringing the death toll to three, doctors confirmed Monday.

The 17- and 19-year-old students were pronounced clinically dead late on Saturday, doctors at the University Clinic in the north German city of Luebeck said.

The two vocational college students were flown home on Thursday evening and taken to the hospital's intensive care unit near their homes, where doctors battled to save their lives.

A hospital official said the case had been taken over by the Luebeck prosecutor's department because the two young men died an unnatural death.

The students were among a group of seven who fell ill after drinking alcohol on March 26 in Kemer, a resort on the Mediterranean coast in Turkey. One of the beverages was apparently laced with methanol or industrial alcohol, which is toxic in large quantities.

One of the students, aged 21, died after falling unconscious in his hotel room. A German media report said he was unconscious for 20 hours before his body was found.

The four other students recovered after undergoing treatment in Turkish clinics.

Youths from the class had already testified in Turkey that they bought the drinks, two bottles of vodka and two bottles of cola, for 25 euros (33 dollars) in the hotel where they were staying.

The students purchased the alcohol despite being under orders from their teachers not to do so.

Turkey has a history of spurious liquors made by illegal home distilleries being sold in markets and restaurants. (dpa)