Cleaning Agent Found in the Bottled Drink That Sickened a Man and Triggered Alarm in Croatia

Cleaning Agent Found in the Bottled Drink That Sickened a Man and Triggered Alarm in Croatia
A shelf emptied of CocaCola drinks at a grocery shop in Zagreb, Croatia, on Nov. 8, 2023. Darko Bandic/AP Photo
The Associated Press
Updated:
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ZAGREB, Croatia—Traces of a cleaning agent have been found in the fizzy drink that was served to a man in Croatia who was later hospitalized with a throat injury, triggering a nationwide alarm, police said Thursday.

An analysis of the bottle and glass served to the man at a cafe last weekend in the northern port of Rijeka showed that the contents of both included a highly alkaline substance. But it remains unclear how it got there, and other similar drinks that were tested were problem-free, police said in a statement.