A TWO-YEAR-OLD British girl was in intensive care in a Cypriot hospital last night after a bizarre accident in which she was mistakenly served orange squash mixed with dishwasher detergent at a luxury hotel.
Doctors said Annabelle Rhodes was in a serious but stable condition after she was taken off a ventilator yesterday afternoon, and was breathing normally for the first time in four days.
But they feared she could suffer long-term damage from drinki
ng the potentially lethal cocktail. Annabelle suffered agonising burns to her mouth, throat and upper respiratory organs.
Her distressed parents, Mark and Judith, from Bayswater, London, have been at the girl's bedside since she was rushed to hospital on Saturday evening.
They told The Scotsman that Annabelle was "making progress". But her father said: "It's intensely personal. We'd really rather not talk about it."
Police were questioning employees at the four-star Curium Palace Hotel in the southern coastal resort of Limassol, where the incident took place.
No arrests had been made by last night.
"The offence that is being investigated so far is a reckless and negligent act which carries a maximum penalty of two years' imprisonment," a police spokeswoman said.
The mistake occurred on Saturday evening when Mr Rhodes, 55, ordered a watered-down orange squash for his daughter from a barman. When she started screaming, Mr Rhodes tasted the drink himself and also received hospital treatment.
It is understood the detergent had been poured into a plastic bottle and the clear, odourless solution was mistaken for water by hotel employees.
"We are treating this as an accident, as the person wasn't to know there was a different liquid in the plastic water bottle," a police spokeswoman said.
The liquid consumed was sent to a state laboratory for testing. Local media said it was nitric acid, which is highly corrosive and can cause toxic burns.
Dr Panicos Yiallouras, a paediatric pulmonologist, said Annabelle had been on a ventilator to secure her airway, "because she had a terrible obstruction after the ingestion of this chemical substance at the hotel and she couldn't breathe".
He went on: "We had to look down with a scope to see the voice box – there's still some swelling there, but not as much as on the first day."
There was a possibility of long-term damage, however. "These chemical substances can cause strictures; they can cause granulomas in abnormal tissue where the normal tissue has been eroded," Dr Yiallouras said.
SUNSHINE ISLAND HAS ENDURING APPEAL ACROSS THE SPECTRUMCYPRUS was part of the United Kingdom until independence was granted in 1961.
It has long been a favourite among UK tourists.
A growing number of UK residents are looking to the island for a holiday home and many more decide to retire there.
Its attractions include 340 days of sun a year, cool winters and hot summers, unspoilt scenery and abundant wildlife.
Although the island remains divided between the Turkish north and Cypriot south, the tourist trade has flourished.
The most popular resorts have gained their reputations for very distinct reasons.
Ayia Napa holidays are geared toward the young clubbing crowd, and have bars and nightclubs rivalling those of Ibiza.
The south-coast town of Limassol is the island's largest seaside resort.
On the west coast is the much more laid-back resort-town of Paphos, offering a family-friendly atmosphere with a good blend of lively nightlife and quiet retreats.
