Increase in victims of homemade liquor in Iran; 24 dead and 290 poisoned
Reports indicate an increase in the number of victims of drinking homemade alcoholic beverages in Iran in recent days.
ISNA news agency reported on Saturday, October 28, quoting Pirhossein Kolivand, head of the Emergency Organization, that according to the latest information, 290 people have been poisoned due to alcohol consumption in 4 provinces, of which 24 have died and 3 have suffered brain death.
According to him, only 46 of the poisoned people have been discharged from the hospital. Of these, 15 are being treated in intensive care units and three people in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad are brain dead.
While in recent days, news of 189 Bandar Abbas citizens being poisoned after drinking homemade alcohol, and 16 of them dying, had made headlines, on Saturday news of 45 people being poisoned in Karaj and 25 people in the cities of Bojnourd and Shirvan was released.
The North Khorasan Police Commander also advised people who have purchased this homemade liquor not to consume it under any circumstances and to refer to medical centers if they experience discomfort or symptoms of poisoning.
It has been reported that 290 people were poisoned by drinking this type of alcohol, even though the production, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in Iran.
Despite the police and judicial system's crackdown on the production and consumption of alcoholic beverages in Iran, statistics indicate a sharp increase in alcohol consumption in society, to the extent that medical centers and social services have recognized alcohol addiction, and the police have reported the arrest of about 3,000 drunk drivers in Tehran in just one year.
Some reports also indicate that more than 10% of Iranians consume alcohol, and alcohol is the most widely consumed substance after cigarettes.
Iranian police prevent the import of foreign standard alcoholic beverages and destroy smuggled shipments that are discovered. As a result, consumers turn to homemade alcohol, which is sometimes toxic due to its substandard quality.
Four years ago, the commander of Iran's police force referred to border controls to prevent the sale of alcohol, saying: "Controlling liquor smuggling has led to an increase in the price of alcoholic beverages, but this has also led to other unintended consequences, and if we cannot manage the flow of demand and consumption, the result will be domestic production and occasional poisonings at parties; of course, I am not saying that we should allow liquor to be imported, but we should pay attention to these matters as well."
This was the first time an Iranian police official expressed concern about alcohol poisoning and spoke about managing the supply and demand for alcoholic beverages.
In recent years, there have been reports of mass poisonings at weddings or parties caused by drinking homemade alcohol. In one previous case alone, drinking homemade alcohol resulted in six deaths and 348 people being poisoned.
Source: Voice of America
