Teen in Turkey dies after being served pudding with peanuts
A 19-year-old tourist in Turkey has died from an allergic reaction to peanuts while having pudding at a restaurant.
He had checked with the waiter three times whether the dessert contained the allergen, and each time the waiter confirmed that it was not present.
However, he started having an allergic reaction after a few bites into the pudding.
His panicked friends had made a video call to his mother for assistance — who ended up watching her son draw his last breaths when emergency crew failed to rescue him.
Checked for allergen three times
The deceased has been identified as 19-year-old Idris Qayyum from London.
Daily Mail reported that he was diagnosed with a severe allergy to peanuts as a child, and has thus been vigilant about the food he consumes.
Source: Daily Mail
At the time of his death, Idris was on a trip to Turkey organised by a tour operator.
While dining at the rooftop terrace of a resort, he had made his allergy to peanuts clear to the waiters.
Afraid that the waiter did not understand him clearly, he also used Google translate to confirm the ingredients in Turkish.
Idris only started eating the pudding after triple-checking with the waiters. However, a few bites in, he started having difficulty breathing.
Realising that he was having an allergic reaction, Idris ran back to his room to administer an EpiPen.
Source: matsou on Canva, for illustration purposes only.
Teen dies of peanut allergy while mother watched
Less than 25 minutes after he first consumed the dessert, Idris was declared dead.
His distraught mother — who his friends had urgently video-called — watched helplessly as the emergency crew performed CPR on her son and failed to revive him.
“To lose him in circumstances where we were not able to be there to help him is very hard to bear,” she told Daily Mail.
“And to lose him knowing that he had made every effort to protect himself from a harm to which he knew he was vulnerable is even worse.”
According to Daily Mail, Idris had administered an EpiPen in time. It is unclear why this did not prevent his death.
Family suing tour operator
Idris’ family has decided to pursue legal action against the tour operator responsible for his trip.
They claim that the tour operator and its suppliers failed to provide accurate information regarding allergens.
They also believe that the tour operator did not give the hotel staff enough training on allergies and food safety.
“Travel companies have a duty of care to customers and hotel guests to keep them safe,” she said.
The tour operator has since expressed their condolences and are conducting a thorough investigation with the hotel involved.
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Featured image adapted from Daily Mail.
