A 59-year-old man suffered serious burns to his mouth, throat and stomach after he drank a bottle of water, which contained a toxic substance, bought from a Lidl supermarket in Estremoz (Alentejo).
The company that bottles and distributes Água de Nascente, the water linked to the possible poisoning, has sent bottles from the same production lot for analysis at the Instituto Ricardo Jorge. The company issued an assurance that it does not use toxic products and claims that it is impossible that the water is responsible for the poisoning.
According to a report in the Correio da Manhã newspaper, the incident occurred when the man drank a 0.33 litre bottle of water from a pack he had bought from Lidl. Apparently, after drinking a considerable amount, he fell to the ground outside the supermarket and shouted for help. A nearby taxi driver came to his rescue and drove him to Estremoz Health Centre, where the diagnosis revealed that he had ingested a toxic substance which was present in the bottle of mineral water. Due to the seriousness of his condition, he was transferred to the intensive care unit at Lisbon’s São Francisco Xavier Hospital.
Estremoz PSP has collected all the evidence relating to the case, which it has now supplied to Estremoz Court. Lidl is yet to comment on the incident.
