British holidaymaker dies after drinking cleaning fluid in water bottle
Newsteam
A British holidaymaker has died after drinking cleaning fluid that had been left in a mineral water bottle in her hotel room in Cyrpus.
Gloria Smith, 60, was on a two-week holiday at Salamis Bay Conti Resort Hotel in Famagusta, Northern Cyprus, with her partner, Raymond Francis, 62, when the tragedy occurred.
Newsteam
According to the Mirror, seconds after drinking the stain remover, Ms Smith collapsed on the floor in agony in front of Mr Francis, crying out "It's poison".
The bottle containing the lethal fluid had been left on a table inside Gloria's room by a cleaner who had put it into a water bottle to avoid carrying a large container as she made up the rooms.
Newsteam
Raymond said: "I put the liquid to my lips after Gloria collapsed to the floor and I could immediately feel burning.
"I tried to help her straight away, the bottle was the same appearance as a normal small water container."
Newsteam
Gloria was rushed to the Famagusta hospital bit died soon after from a heart attack. The lethal substance was thought to have caused a build-up of fluid on her lungs and brain.
An inquest was told yesterday that the pair were on their fourth day of the holiday, and the hearing at Walsall Coroner's Court was told the cleaner admitted siphoning the stain remover into a water bottle.
The cleaner was arrested following Gloria's death, but was released without charge when it beams clear she had not intentionally meant to leave the fluid behind.
Newsteam
Mr Francis, who had been planning to marry Ms Smith, told the Daily Mail: "Gloria should not have died. It was negligence. It was a stupid, careless mistake.
"We'd come back from a morning on the beach and I suggested we go to the Turkish baths for a sauna.
"When we came back to the room Gloria said she was going to have a shower and she said she was thirsty. She went over the table which had little bottles of vodka and soft drinks on it and picked up a bottle of water.
Newsteam
"Gloria went into the bathroom and a few seconds later I heard her screaming, shouting: "It's poison', help me". She'd dropped the bottle into the sink and was on all fours.
"I picked up the bottle and tasted it and it burned. I tried to help her straight away."
Coroner Robin Balmain basted the hotel's "grossly negligent practice" of transferring cleaning fluids to drinking bottles, and said that if it had happened in the UK, the hotel would have faced criminal charges.
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