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Man dies after bar botches his wine order and serves him detergent

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A Spanish man died after drinking undiluted detergent served to him in a wine glass at a bar.

He suffered internal burns to his windpipe, throat and stomach.

Mr Andres Lorente, 49, had visited the bar Raconet in the Spanish city of Benicarlo on Sunday (June 14).

While there, the divorced father-of-two ordered a glass of white wine.

He was served a colourless and odourless liquid from a wine bottle stored in the fridge.

The liquid, however, was not wine but cleaning fluid.

Burning sensation

Mr Lorente felt a burning sensation after sipping the liquid, local media reported.

Witnesses say he then drank water in an attempt to get rid of the sensation.

He was taken to hospital in an ambulance, but died later.

The Local reported that an empty wine bottle had been used to store industrial cleaner and that the bottle had mistakenly been put in the fridge by an employee.

The bar's owner was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and later released on bail.

'He only took a small sip'

Mirror reported a source close to the investigation as saying: "Everything at the moment is pointing towards a tragedy caused by negligence rather than ill-intent.

Said the source: "In its appearance, texture and colour, it was identical to the glass of white wine the victim had ordered.

"Our understanding is he only took a small sip of the liquid."

The director of the department of Gastroenterology at Castellon General Hospital, Jose Antonio Martin, said even a tiny amount of the concentrated liquid can have devastating consequences when ingested.

"It starts burning immediately," he reportedly told El Periodico Mediterraneo. "If it is potent, it can burn and puncture the oesophagus and stomach."

Sources: The Local, Mirror, Mail Online

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