Briton stabbed to death at jungle health retreat
A Briton was stabbed to death by another man during a ‘cleansing ritual’ at a health retreat in the Amazon rainforest.
Witnesses claim Unais Gomes, 26, was stabbed by Canadian Joshua Andrew Freeman Stevens, 29, in an act of self-defence after the pair took an hallucinogenic drug. Stevens has been arrested.
They said Mr Gomes, believed to be from London, had attacked the Canadian with a knife after suffering a bad trip during the ceremony during which the two had drunk the plant brew ayahuasca.
The Foreign Office warns on its website that the drink contains DMT and that others have died during such ceremonies.
It said: "Shamans and other individuals offer ‘spiritual cleansing’ to tourists in the Amazon area and Cusco. This service is often referred to as Ayahuasca or San Pedro and typically involves the consumption of a brew containing dimethyltryptamine (DMT), an hallucinogenic drug.
"Consumption of this brew is not regulated and its interaction with existing medical conditions isn’t well understood. People have suffered serious illnesses and in some cases death after participating in these ceremonies.
"Spiritual cleansing retreats are usually some distance from populated areas making it difficult to access medical attention for those who need it."
Mr Gomes was at an alternative health retreat called Phoenix Ayahuasca in Iquitos, a city popular with tourists travelling to the Peruvian jungle.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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