Gardaí are investigating whether a man died and his wife became ill after drinking home produced spirits not realising that it may have contained a dangerously poisonous form of alcohol.
The Polish couple in their 60s were found at their home in Ard Na Corann in Midleton in east Cork at around 4pm by gardaí after they received a report of an incident in the duplex apartment.
The man was found by gardaí unresponsive on a couch in the apartment while the woman was found conscious but unwell near the bottom of the stairs and gardaí immediately notified paramedics.
A team of advanced paramedics were quickly on the scene and the man was pronounced dead at the scene while the woman was transferred by ambulance to Cork University Hospital for treatment.
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The man’s body was later removed from the apartment and gardaí notified the coroner’s office and requested the services of the State Pathologist Office for a pathologist to carry out a postmortem.
Gardaí are hoping that the postmortem, which will take place at the morgue at CUH on Tuesday, will establish the exact cause of death of the man whom it is understood had some underlying health issues.
Gardaí have spoken to the couple’s daughter. It is understood the woman confirmed she had met her parents within the last few days so gardaí believe they only became unwell this morning.
Gardaí have recovered a number of empty bottles at the apartment which will be sent for a technical examination to try to establish what it was that the couple may have drunk.
Garda sources are ruling out foul play but say that they will prepare a file on the matter once they receive the postmortem results, for an inquest at the South Cork Coroner’s Court later this year.
