Phosphine killed 4 Saudis in Iran

JEDDAH: The chemical phosphine, often used illegally in insecticides, was responsible for the deaths of four Saudi children in Iran on Sunday.
This is according to Abdullah Al-Hamrani, Saudi consul general in Iran, who said that medical reports showed that they had the chemical in their bodies. They died after inhaling it in their hotel rooms.
Most of those who survived have been discharged from the Imam Reza Hospital in Mashhad, except one person still suffering from low blood pressure, Al-Hamrani was quoted as saying in a local publication on Wednesday.
“I have met with several Iranian officials to get briefings on medical treatment provided for the victims and the criminal investigation,” he said. The investigation was now focused on determining whether foul play was involved, he added.
A microbiology expert and researcher, Mohammad Almahroos, said using phosphine as an insecticide is hazardous. “Some describe it as the ‘silent killer,’ others call it the ‘deadly gas,’” he said.
According to the families of the victims, the poison first killed Deema Al-Fakher, 13, then her brother Hassan Abdulghani, 3, followed by Haidar Ali Qassim Al-Marhoon, 5. The six-month-old infant, Hassan Ali Al-Awami, died in the hospital.
Zaki Ali Fateel, the cousin of Nada, the mother of Deema and Hassan, said Nada’s condition had improved. She would soon be moved out of intensive care with other patients.
The public prosecutor in Khorasan Province, Ali Mozzafari, said the police had arrested the hotel’s manager and four workers. He said the insecticides used were in the form of discs, which were not properly cleared away after the fumigation took place.
Mohammad Qanie, president of the hotel owners’ association in Mashhad, said the hotel was closed because it used unauthorized pesticides.