Poisoning of 400 Students in Yazd; Prosecutor's Office Investigates

Ali Akbar Shams, the prosecutor of Yazd, on Tuesday, May 18, requested the police chief of security to investigate the various aspects of the poisoning of over 450 male students in Yazd dormitory and to send a report to the prosecutor's office. The Yazd prosecutor told the Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, that since none of the students have filed a complaint, the public prosecutor of Yazd has intervened as the public prosecutor. Following the announcement of the poisoning of over 450 students in the Yazd male dormitory, an emergency team arrived at the scene, and all ambulances and ambulance buses in Yazd province were dispatched to the dormitory. The head of the emergency services told Fars news agency that over 250 students have been transferred to hospitals. Ahmad Dehghan, head of the medical emergency center of Yazd province, also told ISNA that the cause of the poisoning is under investigation and the situation is under control, with the injured being transferred to Yazd hospitals and Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Taft. Reports indicate that 179 students have been hospitalized in Yazd province hospitals. Following the poisoning of over 450 students in Yazd, a meeting of the biological defense task force is set to be held with the presence of the head of Yazd University of Medical Sciences, the head of the crisis headquarters of the governorate, the director general of the provincial passive defense, the head of the emergency management center, and university deputies. While no official news has been released regarding the cause of the students' poisoning, Tasnim news agency reported that these students were poisoned due to diseases transmitted through water and food. The news of the poisoning of students in the Yazd male dormitory comes after a report on Tuesday, May 12, regarding the poisoning of 250 students at Shahid Bahonar Technical College in Shiraz. According to reports in Iran, students became ill after having dinner at the college cafeteria, with 58 of them being transferred to the hospital and the rest treated on-site. The head of the emergency management center of Fars province announced that a total of 254 students received medical services in Shiraz. According to Mehr news agency, as of Saturday, 17 of the poisoned students in Shiraz were still hospitalized and their treatment was ongoing. Additionally, the head of the Student Welfare Fund of the Ministry of Science stated on Friday, May 15, that there was no problem with the students' food and symptoms indicated that the illness was likely caused by a virus. According to Zolfaqari Yazdanmehr, initial investigations by experts on the food consumed by these students showed that there was 'nothing specific,' but samples were sent for further testing. On Tuesday, May 18, the head of the Shahid Bahonar Technical Engineering College announced that following food poisoning of 289 students at the college, the contractor responsible for food preparation and cooking has been dismissed. However, he emphasized that the cause of the food poisoning has not yet been determined.