A Siberian region has declared a state of emergency after 48 people died and dozens more were hospitalised after drinking bath oils contaminated with anti-freeze.

Authorities in Irkutsk said almost 60 people were hospitalized over the weekend after trying the bath oil, which was sold as “Boyaryshnika”, or hawthorne extract.

“In total 57 people were harmed, of which 48 have died,” Stanislav Zubovsky, a local prosector told Russian agencies on Monday afternoon. The nine surviving victims are in a critical condition, Mr Zubovsky added.

Dmitry Berdnikov, the mayor of the Siberian city, declared a state of emergency on Monday and announced an immediate ban on all sales of all medical and household products containing alcohol. He also ordered an emergency leafleting campaign warning about the dangers of drinking cosmetics.

Russia has been rocked by a number of poisonings connected to counterfeit vodka or moonshine in recent years, but this appears to be the first such case related to cosmetics. It is also one of the worst in recent memory.