Iranian Schools Closed, 130 Hospitalized After Inhaling Toxic Gas
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 27 October 2014 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Iranian Schools Closed, 130 Hospitalized After Inhaling Toxic Gas, 27 October 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/544fa5ca4.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Iran's official IRNA news agency reports that 130 people have been hospitalized in the southeastern city of Zahedan after inhaling toxic gas.
More than 100 schools also were closed on October 27 across the city in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan.
Reports say about 60 of the people hospitalized were schoolchildren. Their symptoms included breathing problems, headaches, dizziness, and vomiting.
Zahedan's governor general, Abbas Ali Arjmandi, ruled out claims of sabotage in the city, which is near the border with Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Arjmandi said a worker from a private company has been detained after allegedly unloading expired pesticides into one of the city's wastewater canals on October 26.
He said the toxic gas was created by a chemical reaction between the pesticides and sewage in the canal.
