Girl, 9, died after eating first holiday ice-cream
A BRITISH schoolgirl who died after eating ice-cream while on a family holiday in Spain had only just arrived at the Costa Del Sol resort, it emerged yesterday.
The nine-year-old, who is understood to be allergic to milk and nuts, is believed to have gone into anaphylactic shock after suffering a severe reaction to the dessert.
She died in hospital in Malaga on Monday, two days after the family “dumped their suitcases” in their rooms at Club La Costa World in Mijas, and headed out to explore.
It is thought they went to a nearby shopping centre where the unnamed youngster is believed to have eaten the icecream. The girl’s parents and their two other young children are now being comforted while they make arrangements to repatriate their daughter’s body. They are thought to be receiving counselling offered by managers at the holiday resort where they are staying near Fuengirola.
A source said: “The girl’s poor parents had only just arrived at the resort the day the tragedy happened.
“They checked in just after midday, dumped their suitcases and went off to a nearby shopping centre.
“She was suffering when she got back to the resort but it was only when they sat down for something to eat when they returned that she really started to feel unwell. They decided to order a takeaway up in their room instead but things took a turn for the worse before they left the restaurant.
“Staff intervened and gave the girl first aid while an ambulance was called.”
Another insider confirmed the family was still at the resort and the two younger children were “suffering immensely”.
Shock
“They were looking forward to a family holiday in the sun and they’re struggling terribly to cope at the moment. It’s all so fresh they’re still in a state of shock,” the source added.
The youngster was admitted to the Costa del Sol Hospital on Saturday night where it is believed she suffered a cardiac arrest. She was revived and transferred to the Materno-Infantil Hospital in Malaga on Sunday but died the following day. The resort confirmed in a statement that the girl fell ill after eating ice-cream elsewhere and not on the site.
A spokesman for CLC World Resorts & Hotels offered his “heartfelt condolences” to the family and thanked its staff and the emergency services “for their quick and appropriate responses”.
A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said staff were in touch with the family in Spain.
A post-mortem examination took place on Tuesday and further tests will be carried out to confirm whether the girl’s death was linked to the ice-cream.