Hundreds of schoolgirls victims of mysterious diseases, some hospitalized. Since the end of November, the official Iranian media have recorded several hundred cases, particularly in the holy city of Qom. On Wednesday, dozens of establishments for girls in the same city, Ardabil, in the northwest of the country, were victims of gas emissions in the middle of the class. 108 of them were hospitalized. Similar cases were also reported on Thursday in the capital Tehran.
This series did not cause deaths but questions, since the symptoms are remarkably similar:
“My chest hurts and when I walk my legs shake a little,” describes a young woman who is bedridden with a mask connected to a respirator still covering her nose and mouth.
Another shares the dizziness she feels while still hospitalized: “My body is very numb, it prevents me from walking,” she says.
Religious extremists suspected by authorities
How to explain these symptoms that appeared so suddenly? Faced with pressure from the relatives of the victims, the authorities announced that they had opened an investigation. For them, it would undoubtedly be an intentional poisoning potentially perpetrated by religious extremists.
“It turned out that some wanted all schools to be closed, especially for girls,” said Iranian Deputy Health Minister Youness Panahi.
These poisonings follow the broad protest movement against the Iranian regime that has been taking place for several months, despite the fierce repression. So far, authorities have not made any arrests.
Source: BFM TV
