Investigation following death of man who had been fumigating his vegetable plot

A Malaga court is investigating the death of a 77-year-old man who was admitted to the city's Hospital Clínico with acute respiratory failure. Initial investigations suggest that he was poisoned while fumigating his vegetable plot.

The man began to feel unwell on 14 June and went to the Alhaurín de la Torre health centre because he could not breathe. From there he was taken by ambulance to the emergency department of the hospital, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit.

Since then, the man remained hospitalised in a critical condition in the Malaga city health centre until his death on Wednesday 19 July. Given that the reason for his admission stated that he had been poisoned by fumigation, a judicial protocol was activated.

The victim's body was taken to the Institute of Legal Medicine in Malaga city where the autopsy was carried out on Thursday, but the result has not yet been revealed.

Sources close to the case have warned of the danger to health posed by some very powerful herbicides which can be purchased online and which, if not used without adequate safety measures, can cause acute cases of encephalitis or respiratory failure.