Hand sanitizer instead of water.
This barely imaginable mistake occurred during a high school sports competition in Japan last weekend.
One participant fell ill while taking a sip.
The country's authorities have promised an investigation.
The organizers of this 5,000-meter girls' march in Yamanashi Prefecture (central Japan) mistakenly poured disinfectant into cups placed at a drink distribution point for participants.
According to the Yamanashi High School Sports Federation, the sanitizer had been stored in an unlabeled plastic bottle, inside a cardboard box, alongside drinking water bottles.
Schoolgirl collapses and vomits
One contestant collapsed, vomited and gave up after drinking the sanitizer, while two others spat it out and continued.
A total of three high school girls have been taken to hospital for treatment and are believed to be on the mend.
Alcohol-based hand sanitizer is commonly used to protect against the coronavirus and has become ubiquitous in Japan since the pandemic began in 2020. Yamanashi Governor Kotaro Nagasaki on Monday promised an independent investigation into the matter .
"On behalf of the department, I would like to sincerely apologize to the athlete and her family," he said.
Company
Coronavirus: Can hydroalcoholic gel bottles explode under the effect of high heat?
Style
Coronavirus: Irritations, pimples, redness… How to minimize skin problems related to wearing a mask and hydroalcoholic gel?
Japan
World
Miscellaneous facts