British child serious after drinking detergent in Cyprus

NICOSIA (Reuters) – A two-year-old British girl was in serious but stable condition in a Cyprus hospital after being served detergent mixed with orange juice at a luxury hotel, police said on Tuesday.

Annabel Rhodes suffered burns to her mouth and oesophagus after drinking the corrosive acid on Saturday night.

“We had her on a ventilator for 48 hours. Today we weaned her off it … she appears to be doing better,” said Andreas Hajidemetriou, the director of the Makarios Hospital paediatric ward.

“If the child continues breathing on her own, that is a big step. We will wait for her condition to stabilise and then try to ascertain if there will be any long-term problems from the burns,” Hadjidemetriou told Reuters.

It was too early to tell whether the incident would cause any lasting damage, he said.

The child was in the intensive care unit of the hospital in the capital Nicosia and was fully conscious, he said.

“It appears that a bartender unknowingly mixed orange juice with a dishwasher detergent stored in a small plastic bottle at the bar,” a police spokesman said.

Local media reported that the detergent was nitric acid, which is highly corrosive and can cause toxic burns. Police said it was odourless and colourless.

Hadjidemetriou said tests were being carried out to determine the precise compound, but said it was a corrosive that had initially affected the child’s respiratory system.

It has been speculated that the child did not realise there was anything wrong with her drink because she sipped it from a straw. The child’s 55-year-old father, who had also tried the drink, received first aid treatment and was discharged, police said.