Iran announced on Tuesday that it had made the first arrests in a mysterious wave of poisoning of schoolgirls that has affected more than 5,000 schoolchildren since late November.
Iran announced on Tuesday that it had made the first arrests in a mysterious wave of poisoning of schoolgirls that has affected more than 5,000 schoolchildren since late November.
He did not identify the detainees or specify any possible motives.
Dozens of schools in Iran have been poisoned since late November, with students experiencing symptoms ranging from shortness of breath to nausea and dizziness after reporting an “unpleasant” smell on school grounds. Some were treated at the hospital. “Twenty-five (out of 31) provinces and about 230 schools have been affected, more than 5,000 girls and boys have been poisoned,” Mohammad-Hassan Asafari, a member of the parliamentary inquiry, told the firm. ISNA news on Monday. .
“Various tests are underway to determine the type and cause of the poisonings. To date, there is no definitive information on the type of poison used.”
The mysterious poisonings have sparked outrage and demand action from the authorities.
They have also sparked international concern and called for an independent Western investigation, especially as the first cases were reported shortly after nationwide protests began over the death of a person. Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini, 22, after she was arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.
‘Enemy’s conspiracy’
President Ebrahim Raisi tasked the interior and intelligence ministries last week with providing continuous updates on the poisoning cases, dubbing them “the enemy’s conspiracy to create fear and despair” among the people.
“In less than five percent of the students transferred to hospital, irritant materials were found which led to their ill-health,” the interior ministry said in its latest update Monday.
“Fortunately, so far, no toxic or dangerous substances have been found in any of the students transferred to medical centres.”
Deputy health minister Saeed Karimi said symptoms included “respiratory irritation, stomach ache, weakness and lethargy”.
“These inhaled irritants may not necessarily be a gas but may be in the form of a powder or paste or even a liquid, which when poured over a heater or vaporised by heat can cause complications,” he added.
The latest case reported by the ISNA news agency involved 40 pupils, all of them female, in the restive southeastern city of Zahedan on Tuesday.