Toxic chemical blamed for deaths of sisters
The deaths earlier this year in Thailand of two Canadian sisters is being blamed on a toxic reaction to a cocktail drink that contained the insect repellent DEET, according to one unconfirmed report.
Results of the autopsy at a Bangkok hospital have not been publicly released, but CBC’s French-language news network claims to have seen the results.
According to the CBC report, quoted in the Thai media, 20-year-old Audrey and Noemi Belanger, 25, from Quebec, had DEET in their bodies that they had ingested.
The chemical is a mosquito repellent, but is reported to be an ingredient in a euphoria-inducing cocktail that is popular among youth in Thailand.
The sisters had just arrived on the Thai island of Phi Phi and were last seen partying with two Brazilian friends in the early hours of June 13.
Forty-eight hours later, they were found dead in their room, and it was speculated that poisoning, probably accidental, played a role. Police said they found no signs of foul play.
Another autopsy is taking place in Montreal.
Ian Jarrett
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