An incident of water contamination in Suwaiq has led to the deaths of two individuals, an Omani citizen and an expatriate woman — prompting Omani authorities to withdraw an Iranian bottled water brand from the market and ban all bottled water imports from Iran. An expatriate woman died on September 29 and an Omani man died two days later on October 1, following critical hospitalisation linked to the consumption of contaminated bottled water in the Wilayat of Suwaiq. According to the Royal Oman Police (ROP), both individuals had consumed bottled water sold under the Iranian brand name ‘Uranus Star’. The Omani man had been in critical condition for two days before he passed away, while an Omani woman from the same family received treatment and has since recovered.Following initial reports of poisoning, the relevant health and safety authorities collected and tested samples of the suspect bottled water. Laboratory results confirmed the product was contaminated. This led to immediate regulatory action, including the withdrawal of all bottles of ‘Uranus Star’ from markets across Oman, and the suspension of all bottled water imports from Iran, as a precautionary step to safeguard public health.The Royal Oman Police urged the public to refrain from consuming bottled water under the brand name ‘Uranus Star’ and called on residents to report any suspected contaminated water products. The ban on Iranian bottled water imports and the product recall remain in effect as investigations continue.
