Bootleg alcohol leaves 4 dead, dozens poisoned in Iran

30-09-2024
Rudaw
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Four people have died and over 50 were left poisoned after consuming bootleg alcohol in Iran’s Mazandaran Province, state media reported on Monday.

IRNA reported citing Rasool Zafarmand, the medical director at the Medical Science University of Mazandaran, that a total of 57 people were taken to the hospitals in the cities of Chalus and Amol, after suffering from alcohol poisoning.

Four people have lost their lives while the remaining 53 cases were symptomatic with severe fatigue, dizziness, and loss of consciousness, according to Zafarmand, adding that 18 of them have undergone dialysis to remove toxins.

Zafarmand noted that five individuals were taken to intensive care units (ICU) and are in critical condition.

Consuming alcohol is illegal in the Islamic republic, with the government usually cracking down on “illegal” alcohol vendors, pushing some Iranians to resort to consuming counterfeit booze, which sometimes leads to severe cases of alcohol poisoning and deaths.

Iranian judiciary sentenced four people to death for selling bootleg alcohol in September 2023. The convicts allegedly sold contaminated alcohol that killed 17 people and sent dozens to hospital months later.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, at least 210 Iranians died after consuming counterfeit alcohol, believing that it can cure the deadly disease.  

A World Health Organization (WHO) report published in June highlighted that around 2.6 million people die annually due to alcohol consumption, accounting for 4.7 percent of all deaths globally. Around 2 million of the alcohol-related death cases were recorded among men.


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