Drinking Death: Fake Alcohol Kills 79 People in Fars

Industrial alcohol and homemade liquor continue to claim victims. The Fars provincial emergency department reported 79 deaths and 642 cases of alcohol poisoning. A Qom judicial official says that only two people in the city have died from consuming counterfeit liquor due to their beliefs.

The director of public relations for Fars province's emergency services announced that as of Sunday morning, April 10, 642 cases of alcohol poisoning had been registered in the province, 79 of whom had died. Hassan Hemmati said that poisoning from counterfeit alcohol was occurring throughout the province, but most of the cases were in Shiraz: "These people consumed alcohol that had been mixed with industrial alcohol."

Mohammad Javad Moradian, head of Fars Emergency Department, also stated that the age range of those poisoned was between 20 and 40 years old, adding that a number of them have been hospitalized in intensive care units: "563 of these people are being treated in hospitals and medical centers in the province."

Moradian reminded that alcohol consumption has no effect on preventing coronavirus infection and urged people not to be deceived by advertisements related to this issue.

At the same time, the police commander of Fars province announced the arrest of eight main perpetrators of the production and distribution of homemade and counterfeit alcohol. Tasnim News Agency reported that Fajr Guard intelligence forces have discovered 50,000 liters of alcohol in recent days.

Ahmad Azimi, the special homicide investigator at the Qom Provincial Central Prosecutor's Office, also reported the deaths of two people after consuming counterfeit alcohol, saying: "Given the religious beliefs of the people of Qom and timely information about the ineffectiveness of alcohol against the coronavirus, we have witnessed only four cases of alcohol poisoning in the province, of which unfortunately two resulted in death."

Azimi added that cyberspace advertising in this regard is aimed at destroying people's beliefs.

Statistics released in the past month show that more than 300 people have died in different provinces of Iran due to consuming adulterated alcohol and at least 2,300 have suffered from alcohol poisoning. A number of people have gargled ethyl alcohol and some have consumed methyl alcohol (industrial alcohol), which is fatal.

This type of poisoning and death has been recorded in most cities and towns in Iran, but the statistics for Fars and Khuzestan provinces are at the top. A few days ago, the deputy director of medical affairs at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences announced that 230 people were poisoned from consuming methanol from March 1 to April 2, 20 of whom died. Roozbeh Rajaee announced that most of the poisoned people are young people under 45 years old and from Tabriz and Ahar, and among them are female patients.

A 70% solution of ethanol or methyl alcohol is used for disinfection and external use. Methanol or industrial alcohol is a deadly substance that is used in the paint industry, the production of adhesives, antifreeze or various chemical products, and even its external use must be with gloves and a mask.

Ingestion of methanol or wood alcohol can cause dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, blurred vision, and blindness. Within 24 hours of consuming the counterfeit alcohol and the breakdown of methanol in the liver, the patient will experience seizures and a heart attack. Anyone who survives such poisoning will face kidney, liver, and vision problems for the rest of their lives.

Medical officials have warned that the death toll from consuming counterfeit alcohol in some cities has surpassed the death toll from the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the West Azerbaijan Province Food and Drug Administration announced the entry of a type of counterfeit and deadly alcohol into the market, and said in a statement that this counterfeit alcohol was sold under the brand name Pars Alcohol as 96-degree ethanol, while pure methanol is 97-degree: "This alcohol not only does not have disinfectant properties, but it also causes blindness and death when absorbed through the skin, and is very toxic and dangerous."

Source: DW