The strange deaths of Dutch tourists Robert Gerrit Kootte and Nienke Guri Trishna Bawa, occurred on August 22 and 23, have revealing hypothesis handed over by the police.
The death of these two tourists who had arrived in Cartagena from the town of Minca, in Magdalena, on the night of Saturday, August 20, had become a mystery.
(In context: Death of Dutch tourists in Cartagena: what substance did they get intoxicated with?)
His journey through the Caribbean, which would culminate with a visit to the island of San Andrés, ended in a tragedy until today inexplicable.
Both tourists died a few hours after arriving in Cartagena from Minca (Magdalena)
each person reacts differently to this type of drinks that are usually used in different rituals…
On Monday, August 22, both travelers were at the Casa del Coliseo Boutique Hotel.
“In the morning hours these two people present a delicate medical condition that demands professional attention. An AMI unit arrives at the hotel to care for one of these people, gives him medication and they consider that at that moment there is no situation that should be be treated in a hospital,” said Colonel Wilson Parada, commander (e,) of the Cartagena Metropolitan Police, at a press conference in recent hours.
However, at night the Police received an emergency call from the administrator of the Boutique Hotel where they were staying.
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“They tell us that one of these people was in serious health condition. Possibly, at that moment, he could lose his life. The Police arrive at the scene. The hotel administrators had already called an ambulance to attend to this person. Upon seeing that the ambulance does not arrive, our units take vital signs from this female person (Nienke Guri Trishna Bawa)”, recounted Colonel Parada.
Immediately, in the face of the emergency, the young woman and her partner are evacuated in two taxis to the Medihelp clinic in Bocagrande, on a journey that seemed eternal to the police due to the seriousness of the young Dutch woman.
Nienke Guri Trishna Bawa, a marketing professional, passed away that same night. Her partner, Robert Gerrit Kootte, an executive at a major European multinational, was sent to the Intensive Care Unit, but died the next morning.
The first diagnosis was delivered by Dr. Javier Hernández, clinical director of Medihelp: a severe picture of intoxication.
(In context: The last dinner of the Dutch tourists who died intoxicated in Cartagena)
“They could have consumed a drink that was what caused the medical complication,” Police
Some communities in the country use this drink to be in a state of relaxation. The opinion determined that this was the cause
In view of the statements by Dr. Javier Hernández, the eyes of justice looked towards The Rum Box restaurant, in the Getsemaní neighborhood, owned by Abraham Dau, son of the mayor of the city, William Dau Chamat, where the two travelers had dinner on Sunday night, with another couple, as they were recorded on videos.
As it was presumably a poisoning, the magnifying glass of the health authorities was also placed on the soup kitchens of the Bazurto market. Until there the tourists had arrived that Sunday morning, in one of the very popular immersion tourism programs, which invites foreigners to taste some of the typical Cartagena dishes in Bazurto.
(In context: The last steps of the Dutch who died intoxicated in Cartagena)
However, from Bazurto and from the restaurant in Getsemaní, the tourists left walking and in apparent good health, as videos from Sunday afternoon and night show, when they were seen walking through the Historic Center.
They would have consumed a deadly drink
It could have been Yagé, this drink that is traditional in some communities would have caused the poisoning
Drug overdose? This theory was ruled out by the authorities when studying the professional profile of the travelers and their health history.
There were also long interviews with relatives who arrived from the Netherlandsthat same week, to repatriate the bodies, and do their own necropsy studies in their nation of origin.
“What Legal Medicine indicates is that they could have consumed a drink that caused the medical complication, each person reacts differently to this type of drinks that are usually used in different rituals; Some communities in the country use this drink to be in a state of relaxation. The opinion determined that this was the cause: an intoxication of this type, “said the senior official.
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According to Parada, the Dutch couple before visiting Cartagena had toured Medellín and Minca, in Magdalena, where they would have consumed the deadly drink.
In a dialogue with EL TIEMPO, the senior official went further: “It could have been Yagé, this drink that is traditional in some communities would have caused the poisoning.”
John Montano
EL TIEMPO correspondent
Cartagena
On Twitter: @PilotodeCometas