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Iran says no foul play in case of Saudi tourists poisoned in Mashhad | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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This undated file photo shows a street in the Iranian city of Mashhad, and some passing cars. (Getty Images/Rasoul Ali)


This undated file photo shows a street in the Iranian city of Mashhad, and some passing cars. (Getty Images/Rasoul Ali)

This undated file photo shows a street in the Iranian city of Mashhad, and some passing cars. (Getty Images/Rasoul Ali)

Dammam, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iran’s Interior Ministry says Sunday’s poisoning of 33 Saudi tourists in the northern city of Masshad was accidental—despite previous comments by Health Minister Sayyed Hassan Hashemi indicating the contrary.

The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) carried a statement by Hossein Zolfiqari, security affairs assistant at the Interior Ministry, saying that “the case of the poisoning of the Saudi tourists was not deliberate” and was instead caused due to “negligence and ignorance” after staff at the hotel where the tourists were staying used “unlicensed insecticides” to deal with an infestation.

Zolfiqari said the substance used was aluminium phosphide, which is highly toxic and widely used as a pesticide. However, premises must be sealed during the process in order to protect from the highly toxic fumes the substance gives off.

Four of the 33 tourists at the hotel have died as a result of the poisoning, all of whom were children, with the youngest of them three years of age, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, a judiciary spokesman, told IRNA. Twenty-four still remain in hospital with some cases critical.

Zolfikar said the hotel, its manager, and staff bore the full responsibility for the incident. The manager and some members of staff have now been arrested.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has ordered an immediate investigation into the incident, Zolfikar said, and the Health Ministry will be presenting him as well as the authorities in Saudi Arabia with a detailed report on their findings.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mordia Afkham gave a statement regarding the deaths, saying: “We express our sorrow for this incident and extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families who have lost their loved ones.”