For a few days now, reports of panic have been circulating on social media in Croatia about cases of poisoning in Rijeka due to the consumption of a flavored mineral water of Austrian origin, owned by the beverage giant Coca-Cola. Cases have been reported across Croatia and warnings have also been raised about other drinks and the lack of maintenance at the bottling plant.
As we discovered Tuesday morning, parts of the reporting are not fake news. A case of poisoning was reported in Rijeka on Saturday and an investigation was launched. Primorje-Gorski kotar regional police received a report that a person who drank a soft drink at a restaurant in the center of Rijeka suffered chemical burns to the esophagus and had to be taken to KBC Rijeka hospital for medical care. The person has already been treated in hospital: “The man is now stable and all circumstances of the event that led to his injuries are the subject of police investigation,” Alen Ružić, director of KBC Rijeka, told the Croatian news portal “24sata .Sir “.
A witness to the poisoning told 24.sata: “It was terrible. The man suddenly started shouting, we didn’t understand anything. We didn’t know what was happening. He screamed that he couldn’t breathe and waved his hands. He then ran into the bathroom and started spitting blood.”
Coca-Cola commented
On Tuesday morning, Coca-Cola Croatia also commented on the case for the first time: “We are aware of an isolated case related to a glass bottle of ‘Römerquelle Emotion blueberry-pomegranate 330 ml’. We express our deep solidarity and hope for a quick and complete recovery of the affected person. We are fully ready to cooperate with all relevant authorities,” Coca-Cola HBC Hrvatska stated in its press release.
According to police information, initial investigations have already been carried out, assets have been confiscated and several people have been questioned. Investigations are still ongoing. The police also informed the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the responsible state health inspectorate of all previous findings, in order to take measures within their area of responsibility. The Ministry of the Interior is also examining all the circumstances of the case. An inspection procedure has already been initiated, according to the state health inspectorate.
More cases?
Apart from this case, no other cases have been reported, police said on Tuesday morning. However, “24sata.hr” reports that a man from Pula also reportedly suffered a chemical burn to the esophagus in Rijeka in May. The man allegedly ordered and drank the same brand: “As soon as I put it in my mouth, I immediately spat it out and my mouth burned violently,” says Stanko Laković, describing the experience to the Croatian news portal.
On Tuesday evening, at around 7pm, two more suspected cases of poisoning after consuming carbonated drinks were taken to hospital in Zagreb. “What I can say is that the patients in Zagreb and Rijeka consumed different drinks. They are different bottles and the bottling countries are also different. All this is now being investigated by the police, all services have been mobilized. If we have information, we will inform the public about it,” Health Minister Vili Beroš told 24sata in the afternoon.
Coca Cola also commented once again to Dnevnik.hr: “We work according to the highest quality and health standards, which also undergo regular external controls. In parallel, we conducted a detailed internal investigation, which revealed no violations in our production. Additionally, we send the samples to an independent, accredited laboratory for further analysis.