Picture used for illustrative purposes.

At least 26 people died in Iran after drinking alcoholic beverages that contained toxic methanol in recent days, state media said.

The official IRNA news agency reported late on Wednesday that toxic methanol had killed men and women in various cities and towns in the northern provinces of Mazandaran and Gilan and the western province of Hamadan.

The alcohol poisoning also led to hundreds of hospitalisations, IRNA said. The source of the alcoholic beverages was not clear in the reports.

The consumption of alcohol has been generally prohibited in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Alcohol poisonings have skyrocketed in Iran in recent years. In 2020, toxic alcohol killed more than 700 people in the country.

Iran has dozens of alcohol factories that make pharmaceutical and cleaning products.

Associated Press