Iran condoles with Saudi families over suspected poisoning accident
Iran's foreign ministry says investigations reject deliberate intention behind incident
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Marzieh Afkham. PHOTO: AFP
TEHRAN:
Iran on Wednesday offered condolences to the families of four Saudis who died from an apparent accidental chemical poisoning during a pilgrimage in Iran, after Riyadh summoned Tehran's ambassador over the incident.
Thirty-six Saudis on a pilgrimage to Mashhad were hospitalised Sunday morning, suffering from nausea and dizziness, Abdullah Bahrami, the director of the Imam Reza hospital, was quoted as saying by official news agency IRNA.
Four, including three children and a teenager, died in the hospital after inhaling toxic gas at the hotel in Mashhad, Iranian media reported.
Read: 45 dead in Saudi-led raids on Yemen capital
Saudi officials on Tuesday called for Iranian authorities to "quickly carry out investigation procedures" into the incident.
"Iranians are well-known for their hospitality and we hope this issue is resolved," said Marzieh Afkham, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, expressing sympathy and condolences.
A senior Iranian official said the incident had no "political or international" links.
"All the investigations reject a deliberate intention behind the incident and the hotel manager has accepted responsibility for this negligence," said interior ministry official, Hossein Zolfaghari.
Read: Sowing trouble: Suicide blast kills 21 in Saudi mosque
He said the poisonings had been the result of illegal pesticide use leaking through ventilation into the area of the hotel where the Saudis were staying.
The hotel manager and four others were taken in for questioning.
Nine pilgrims were still in hospital on Tuesday.
Home to the shrine of Imam Reza, Mashhad draws millions of Shia pilgrims each year from Iran and abroad.
The incident came with tensions high between Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia and its Shia regional rival Iran.
Saudi Arabia leads an Arab-dominated coalition which for more than two months has been bombing Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The kingdom's Shia minority has also been grieving over the murder of 25 people blown up in two separate suicide bombings at mosques in eastern Saudi Arabia last month.
Both attacks were claimed by the Islamic State militant group, an extremist organisation that considers Shia to be heretics.
Iran on Wednesday offered condolences to the families of four Saudis who died from an apparent accidental chemical poisoning during a pilgrimage in Iran, after Riyadh summoned Tehran's ambassador over the incident.
Thirty-six Saudis on a pilgrimage to Mashhad were hospitalised Sunday morning, suffering from nausea and dizziness, Abdullah Bahrami, the director of the Imam Reza hospital, was quoted as saying by official news agency IRNA.
Four, including three children and a teenager, died in the hospital after inhaling toxic gas at the hotel in Mashhad, Iranian media reported.
Read: 45 dead in Saudi-led raids on Yemen capital
Saudi officials on Tuesday called for Iranian authorities to "quickly carry out investigation procedures" into the incident.
"Iranians are well-known for their hospitality and we hope this issue is resolved," said Marzieh Afkham, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, expressing sympathy and condolences.
A senior Iranian official said the incident had no "political or international" links.
"All the investigations reject a deliberate intention behind the incident and the hotel manager has accepted responsibility for this negligence," said interior ministry official, Hossein Zolfaghari.
Read: Sowing trouble: Suicide blast kills 21 in Saudi mosque
He said the poisonings had been the result of illegal pesticide use leaking through ventilation into the area of the hotel where the Saudis were staying.
The hotel manager and four others were taken in for questioning.
Nine pilgrims were still in hospital on Tuesday.
Home to the shrine of Imam Reza, Mashhad draws millions of Shia pilgrims each year from Iran and abroad.
The incident came with tensions high between Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia and its Shia regional rival Iran.
Saudi Arabia leads an Arab-dominated coalition which for more than two months has been bombing Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The kingdom's Shia minority has also been grieving over the murder of 25 people blown up in two separate suicide bombings at mosques in eastern Saudi Arabia last month.
Both attacks were claimed by the Islamic State militant group, an extremist organisation that considers Shia to be heretics.