88 Hospitalized Due to Alcohol Poisoning in Karaj; At Least 2 Confirmed Dead

Following severe alcohol poisoning in Karaj, at least 2 individuals have died and 88 others have been hospitalized. Hossein Babakan, the head of the Social Security Hospital in Alborz Province, stated that the poisoning was caused by methanol alcohol consumption, confirming the deaths of 2 of the poisoned individuals. The Iranian state news agency reported on Friday, June 16, citing unofficial sources, that the death toll from alcohol poisoning in Karaj could be as high as 14. According to the report, the poisoned individuals, residents of the Islamabad and Hasarak areas of Karaj, aged between 20 and 50, have been admitted to four hospitals: Kowsar, Alborz, Rajai, and Kasra in Karaj. The gender of the poisoned individuals was not mentioned. This news comes shortly after Hamid Hedayat, the police chief of Alborz, announced the arrest of distributors of 'poisonous alcohol' in Karaj and the closure of two industrial and production units related to this issue. On June 9, Hedayat mentioned the deaths and alcohol poisoning of several citizens in the Mehrshahr area of Karaj, stating that 4 individuals involved in this case had been arrested and one factory producing industrial alcohol and one medical supply unit had been shut down. This police official did not provide information about the number of fatalities, the timing of the incident, or the identities of the arrested individuals. Under the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the purchase, sale, and consumption of alcohol is prohibited. However, reports indicate that the production and sale of alcoholic beverages have become widespread underground in the absence of legal oversight in the country. In recent years, there have been multiple reports of alcohol-related poisonings leaking to the media, including an alcohol poisoning incident in Bandar Abbas in May 2022 that resulted in 14 deaths and sent dozens more to the hospital.