Twenty-three people in Istanbul have died in 48 hours after drinking tainted alcohol, authorities said, writes CBS NEWS.

At least 43 others were hospitalized - 32 of them in intensive care - Turkish officials said. Since the start of the New Year, they said a total of 34 people have died from the effects of bootleg alcohol. Alcohol tainted with methanol is thought to be the cause.

Methanol is a substance that"s often added to alcohol to increase its potency. It"s often used in illegally produced products instead of ethanol because it"s cheaper, according to a study which looked at illegally produced alcohol in southern Turkey, and it can cause blindness, liver damage and death.

There was no immediate comment from Turkey’s Ministry of Health.

Poisonings from adulterated alcohol are quite common in Turkey, where private production has shot up as authorities crank up taxes on alcoholic drinks.