Joshua Parfitt
THE body of a nine-year-old British girl who died from an allergic reaction to an ice cream will fly home to the UK alongside her family tomorrow.
A source with links to the Fuengirola Mosque told the Olive Press the British Asian family had been in contact after the young girl passed away on Monday evening.
They also claimed the family have made arrangements to bury their daughter in England on Friday.
According to Muslim tradition, burials should take place within a day but can be delayed to allow a body to be returned home, a religious leader confirmed.
The girl, who has not been named, ate an ice cream bought from the Miramar shopping centre near to the Club la Costa World resort complex in Mijas, where the family had arrived on Saturday.
The girl went into anaphylactic shock around 9pm the same evening and was rushed by ambulance to the Costa del Sol Hospital near Marbella.
She was revived, but suffered another cardiorespiratory arrest and was taken to Materno Infantil Hospital in Malaga at midnight, according to a spokesperson from the Costa del Sol hospital.
A respected Spanish newspaper reported that she died on Monday evening.
A hotel guest at Club la Costa World told the Olive Press he saw the young girl ‘on the floor’ outside his hotel room on Saturday evening.
The guest, who was staying next to the Safari Restaurant at the holiday complex, said that family members, understood to be Muslims, had flown over from England and were comforting the bereaved and were dressed in black.
“I’ve been inside all day today getting my head around it—you just hope it doesn’t happen to one of your kids,” he said.
“The family had only just flown out here to enjoy their half-term.”
The girl is believed to have had a nut allergy, though newspapers have alleged she was also allergic to milk.
A source told the Olive Press the family, who are believed to have two other young children, had been carrying an EpiPen.
It is not known if the device that administers epinephrine in the event of a severe allergic reaction was used.
An investigation is currently underway, led by a judge from Malaga court.
The Olive Press sources said however that they had bought the ice cream from the Miramar shopping centre—a 20-minute journey by foot from Club la Costa World.
An ice cream parlour and a frozen yoghurt vendor, Deleite and Smooy, on the ground floor of the centre, showed the Olive Press laminated charts displaying all allergens in their products.
One member of staff said allergens ‘were the first thing they were instructed in’ upon starting their job.
A respected Spanish newspaper reported that the family had returned to the Club la Costa World to have supper, but the young daughter began feeling ill and the family immediately left the premises, before the girl collapsed outside.
Severe anaphylaxis usually occurs within minutes of exposure to an allergen, but it is not known when nor where the ice cream was consumed.
A senior member of staff at Miramar said they had only learned of the case on Wednesday following investigations from this paper, and did not know either where the ice cream was bought.
A respected Spanish newspaper reported the girl had been taken to the Instituto de Medicina Legal de Malaga for an autopsy on Tuesday, and was then sent to Sevilla for a toxicology report.
A spokesperson at Club la Costa World said the family were being comforted and their privacy respected at this terrible time.
A statement from the resort said: “We would like to thank the emergency services for their quick and appropriate response and our staff for the continuing support of the family at this difficult time.”
