Home-made vodka kills 13 people in Iran

Home-made vodka has killed 13 people in southern Iran and badly sickened 25 others, state-run television reported today.

The vodka, consumed in Shiraz, blinded four of the survivors, Hossein Ali Amiri, a local judicial official told Iranian television. The vodka was still being analysed, but Amiri said it probably contained methanol, a flammable and poisonous liquid used in solvents and fuels.

Police arrested 14 people suspected of distributing the vodka, he said, but poisoned survivors were reluctant to cooperate with police because alcohol consumption is illegal in Iran.

Alcoholic beverages are illegal and considered sinful under Islamic law in Iran. However, home-made brews tend to be cheap and available.

Lashing is the usual punishment for alcohol consumption convictions in Iran, and distribution convictions can include lashes, fines and prison time.

Judges have broad discretion in how many lashes, how steep the fine and how much jail time is handed down.