Tehran
\nAt least 15 people perished after drinking poisonous alcohol Wednesday in the Iranian province of Alborz with nearly 200 people admitted to hospital for treatment as authorities said \u201csome people have gone blind\u201d after the consumption, state media reported.
\nHossein Fazeli Harikandi, the chief justice of the province, told IRNA news agency: \u201cSo far, 15 people have died and 180 people have been poisoned and hospitalised.\u201d
\nMost of those hospitalised had since been discharged, but \u201csome have gone blind,\u201d while others were undergoing dialysis after suffering kidney damage.
\nDeaths related to these incidents have been on the rise in the country despite a widespread ban on alcoholic beverages since the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
\nThe ban, it is said, is leading people to smuggle and proliferate such drinks and products in the black market.
\nMethanal is often added to liquor as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, causes poisoning and can be a life-damaging substance.
\nThe authorities in Alborz province have arrested at least six people and seized more than 6,000 litres (1,585 gallons) of alcohol from a cosmetic factory before its distribution, Harikandi added.
\nAccording to Iran\u2019s forensic institute, 644 people died after consuming \u201cfake alcoholic beverages\u201d in the year to March, a 30% increase on the previous 12-month period.
\nIn May 2022, eight people died in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas after drinking bootleg alcohol. At least 210 people died in Iran during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 after drinking bootleg alcohol, falsely believing it to be a remedy for the virus.
\nIt\u2019s important to note that alcohol poisoning can have serious health consequences and can be fatal and can cause life-long damage and even death.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tehran At least 15 people perished after drinking poisonous alcohol Wednesday in the Iranian province of Alborz with nearly 200 people admitted to hospital for treatment as authorities said \u201csome people have gone blind\u201d after the consumption, state media reported. Hossein Fazeli Harikandi, the chief justice of the province, told IRNA news agency: \u201cSo far, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":339224,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-339203","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n