According to the chief public prosecutor, a poisoned champagne led to the death of a man in a restaurant in downtown Weiden. He does not confirm assumptions about the substance with which the drink was mixed.
Poisoned champagne is said to have led to the death of a 52-year-old man in a restaurant in Weiden in the Upper Palatinate. “It had a toxic, poisonous effect,” said senior public prosecutor Gerd Schäfer on Monday. “There were things in it that don’t actually happen in a champagne.” According to media reports, the champagne is said to have been in its original packaging and only opened at the table.
The toxicological investigations have been completed, the senior public prosecutor said. “There are already results.” It is still unclear whether these will be published on Monday. Schäfer did not want to confirm media reports that the champagne could have been mixed with the drug ecstasy. According to him, there is a suspicion of negligent homicide. Detected in all directions. “There are suspicions.” Schäfer initially did not want to give any details – not even whether someone was already listed as a suspect.
An autopsy of the deceased was also ordered, according to the Oberpfalz police headquarters. This is usually carried out in forensic medicine in Erlangen, but there are no results yet.
At first, rumors circulated in the media that the restaurant guests had poisoned themselves with hydrocyanic acid. According to the police, there had been a fire brigade operation at the Regensburg University Hospital in connection with the events in Weiden. Apparently those affected were brought in from Weiden, who “there was a suspicion that they had come into contact with a hazardous substance,” according to the Regensburg fire brigade. The emergency room had to be closed for a short time, and the fire brigade and staff initiated decontamination. A short time later, however, there were laboratory results and the all-clear.
It is clear so far that several guests between the ages of 33 and 52 shared a bottle of champagne in a restaurant in Weiden. Soon after, all symptoms of poisoning became noticeable, as the investigators said. When police and rescue workers arrived at the scene, several people were lying on the ground and having seizures. Eight of those affected came to various hospitals, a 52-year-old from the Schwandorf district died on Sunday night. According to the police, one of the victims has now been able to leave the hospital.
The restaurant is located in the center of the pedestrian zone in the city of 42,000 inhabitants. A special commission of the Weiden criminal police called “Markt” has taken over the investigation. On Monday, among other things, other witnesses should be questioned.