A young mum has tragically died after taking part in a dangerous drinking competition during a birthday party at a nightclub in Cali, Colombia. Maria Jose Ardila († 23) accepted a challenge, the goal of which was to drink six types of alcoholic beverages within a time limit. The monetary reward was 300 pounds (approx. 340 euros), the portal writes. A student of agro-food engineering, however she suffered alcohol poisoning.
According to her family, Maria wanted to win money and help a friend who was having financial problems. The video shows how quickly she consumed various alcoholic beverages during the competition. In one of the shots, she is kneeling while someone pours alcohol directly into her mouth. She also drank from a bottle and shots through a straw. “It tastes gross” she said in the video.
According to witnesses, towards the end of the competition, Maria collapsed and choked on her own vomit. Her friends immediately took her to the hospital as they thought she had stopped breathing. When she reached the doctors, she no longer showed signs of life. They tried to revive her, but were unsuccessful. Doctors later said she had suffered severe brain damage from lack of oxygen. Maria was connected to machines, but after five days of intensive treatment, she was declared brain-dead.
Father-in-law Andres Ardila suspects that the drinks may have been tampered with or poisoned. He accused the nightclub of negligence because there were no paramedics or an ambulance at the scene and staff did not immediately help his daughter. “No one paid attention to her. Her friends had to carry her outside to seek help while drivers refused to stop, thinking she was just drunk.” he told the local media.
The nightclub released a statement expressing its condolences to the family and confirming it would cooperate with authorities. Investigators gather evidence to determine whether a crime has occurred. They ordered toxicology tests to see if the drinks Maria drank were contaminated. Maria was the mother of a 10-month-old child and the wife of a man who is supposed to live in the US.
