Saudi Arabia Asks Compensation for Deaths of Pilgrims in Northeast Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Saudi authorities have asked Iran to pay out compensation for the deaths of four Saudi Arabian pilgrims in northeastern city of Mashhad due to poisoning.
The Arab country's consulate in Mashhad is making arrangements to determine the Diyya (blood money) for the deaths of the four children, the Saudi daily newspaper Al Watan reported.
According to the report, the Saudi consulate has hired a lawyer for the pilgrims to pursue the issue of compensation payments.
The paper quoted Saudi Consul General in Mashhad Abdullah al-Hamrani as saying that the Diyya for each of the victims is predicted to be around 100,000 Saudi riyals.
A group of 32 Saudi pilgrims, including 17 children and 15 adults, were admitted to Imam Reza Hospital in Mashhad with poisoning symptoms on June 7.
Later, four children lost their lives despite extensive treatment by the Iranian medical staff.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Iran's Deputy Interior Minister for Security and Law Enforcement Hossein Zolfaghari said an inquest to ascertain the cause of the deaths revealed that the four children died of "acute toxicity" brought on by phosphine gas from insecticide pellets in an upper story in the hotel building, where pilgrims from the Saudi city of Dammam were staying.
The toxic gas poisoned 37 people and took 4 lives, Zolfaghari said, rejecting any intentional act behind the incident. He blamed the deaths on hotel staffer negligence.
Phosphine gas is generated when aluminum phosphide, a highly toxic inorganic compound, is exposed to any source of moisture.
