Karbala health officials deny mass poisoning reports, confirm two dead from suspected gas inhalation

KARBALA — Health authorities in Karbala on Saturday dismissed circulating reports of a mass poisoning, clarifying that two people died and five others were hospitalized due to suspected gas inhalation while sleeping in a religious guesthouse in the Bab Tuwairij area.

A medical source told 964media that initial claims of 27 people being admitted to Imam Hussein Medical City with two fatalities were inaccurate. The incident involved seven volunteers from Baghdad who had traveled to participate in religious services and were staying in a Husayniyya, or Shiite guesthouse, in the Aqd Bleibel neighborhood.

“The cause of the suffocation has not yet been determined,” the source said. “Some of the injured mentioned fumes coming from a generator, while others believed there was a leak from the air conditioning unit.”

All cases were reported around 3 a.m. Saturday. Two individuals were found dead on arrival and transferred to the forensic medicine department. Three others are in stable condition under observation in the hospital’s private wing, while two more were moved to the intensive care unit at the Turkish Hospital under the direction of Health Director Sabah Al-Mousawi.

In a joint statement, Imam Hussein Medical City Director Dr. Sabah Al-Husseini and Emergency Department Head Dr. Safaa Al-Dadda said initial tests pointed to “suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.” The statement confirmed seven individuals were affected: two died, three remain hospitalized in stable condition, and two others were discharged after receiving medical treatment.