Andres Lorente, a  50 year old man visited a cafe in Spain on Sunday afternoon. He ordered for a glass of white wine, but was served dishwasher  detergent instead of white wine, and has suffered horrific burns to his windpipe, throat and stomach.

He was served an industrial cleaner instead of white wine by the waiter. This mistake has occurred because the dishwasher detergent was filled in an empty wine bottle and is kept in the fridge. The detergent is colorless and odorless and hence, neither the waiter, nor Andres Lorente has realized that it is not the wine in the bottle.

Local Civil Guard officers have arrested the cafe-bar owner on suspicion of manslaughter and released him on bail after questioning about the incident. "Everything at the moment is pointing towards a tragedy caused by negligence rather than ill-intent. The industrial cleaner appears to have been placed in an empty wine bottle in the fridge with the terrible consequences that entailed. 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,” sources close to the investigation said.

Jose Antonio Martin, director of the gastroenterology department at the Castellon General Hospital, said that, ingesting even a small amount of such a concentrated liquid could be lethal. "It starts burning immediately. If it is potent it can burn and puncture the oesophagus and stomach."

The bar is closed after the incident and the bottle containing the cleaner as well as the glass the dead man drunk from, were taken away for expert analysis.

The life of a person was lost due to the negligence of the hospitality staff of the café. This is a serious note to be taken notice by not just the café staff, but by all the people around the world. These kind of negligence or irresponsibility is an act done by everyone at their home and office. This incident gives a lesson that the small negligence can cost a life.

By Premji