Iran alcohol poisoning kills 15, leaves 180 hospitalised

Iranian state media reported Wednesday that as many as 15 people have lost their lives in Alborz province due to drinking poisonous alcohol with 180 others hospitalised, adding that some of the people suffered blindness after consuming bootleg alcohol while others are being treated.

Hossein Fazeli Harikandi, the chief justice of the province, told IRNA news agency: "So far, 15 people have died and 180 people have been poisoned and hospitalised." 

Most of those hospitalised had since been discharged, but "some have gone blind," while others were undergoing dialysis after suffering kidney damage.

Deaths related to these incidents have been on the rise in the country despite a widespread ban on alcoholic beverages since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The ban, it is said, is leading people to smuggle and proliferate such drinks and products in the black market.

Methanal often added to liquor as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, causes poisoning and can be a life-damaging substance. 

The 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.

According to Iran's forensic institute, 644 people died after consuming "fake alcoholic beverages" in the year to March, a 30% increase on the previous 12-month period. 

In 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.

It's important to note that alcohol poisoning can have serious health consequences and can be fatal and can cause life-long damage and even death.