600 Iranians dead after drinking neat alcohol to 'cure' coronavirus

Hundreds of people have died and thousands more have been poisoned in Iran after drinking high-concentration alcohol in the mistaken belief it can cure coronavirus.

More than 600 people have died after attempting the cure and some 3,000 are now in hospital, Iranian judicial spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmaili said Tuesday.

'The numbers are very high and are beyond our expectations,' Esmaili said. 'Alcohol consumption is not a cure but can be lethal.'

Speaking to state-run Tasnim News Agency, he added: 'A number of people have been arrested... and we will deal with them decisively.

'They must be held accountable for their criminal acts, for causing death and damage to citizens.'

Iran is the site of the Middle East's worst coronavirus outbreak, having confirmed 62,589 cases of the virus and 3,872 deaths.

Questions have been raised over Iran's data after the country initially downplayed the severity of the outbreak.

So far medics have identified no cure for coronavirus, and have identified only a limited number of drugs that may help to ease symptoms.

Iran's parliament convened Tuesday for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak forced its doors to close, as the country reported a drop in new infections for the seventh straight day.

More than two-thirds of the legislature's 290 members gathered in the absence of speaker and veteran politician Ali Larijani, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week.

At least 31 members of the parliament, or Majles, which had been shut since February 25, have contracted the disease.

State television footage of the opening session showed some MPs huddling together despite guidelines on social distancing to stop the spread of the virus.

Parliament debated and eventually blocked an urgent bill to totally lock down the country for a month, with those against arguing it would damage the economy.

'This plan is against jobs and growing productivity. Who's going to pay for implementing it?'... (Read more)

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