Northampton man collapsed and died after drinking fruit juice while on holiday in Cambodia, inquest hears
A 29-year-old Northampton man collapsed and died after drinking a fruit juice while on holiday in Cambodia, an inquest has heard.
Ally Ahmed, who was living in Northampton at the time, died at the Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penh, the country’s capital city, on 13 September 2023.
The inquest was held at Northampton Guildhall on Wednesday October 1, more than two years later after his death.
The inquest heard Mr Ahmed had suddenly fallen ill after visiting a restaurant in Tuo Puong Market with a friend earlier that day.
The inquest heard that Ally had gone for a walk with his friend and bought a glass of fruit juice to drink from a local restaurant. Later that same afternoon he had a ‘sudden manifestation of illness’, ‘suddenly felt breathless’, and his tongue became ‘very swollen’, making him ‘unable to breathe’, before he was taken to hospital, where he sadly died.
Initially, Cambodian authorities recorded the cause of death as cardiac arrest, possibly caused by heart disease, the inquest heard.
However, Mr Ahmed’s body was repatriated to the UK and a further post-mortem examination was carried out by Professor West, a ‘highly experienced’ pathologist.
Professor West concluded that, on the balance of probabilities, Mr Ahmed had died from anaphylaxis.
The inquest heard there was no evidence of third-party involvement.
Returning her conclusion, Senior coroner Anne Pember said: “The conclusion I will insert in the record of inquest is one of accidental death.”
Explaining to Mr Ahmed’s brother why it took two years to come to inquest, Ms Pember said: “It has taken so long to be heard because it was with extreme difficulty to get information from Cambodia. I am very sorry for your loss.”
Anaphylaxis is a severe, sudden, life-threatening allergic reaction that can rapidly lead to shock and potentially death if not treated immediately with adrenaline. It happens when the immune system mistakenly identifies a substance, like food or medication, as a threat and releases chemicals that cause symptoms such as difficulty breathing, wheezing, skin reactions, and a drop in blood pressure.