One dies after party of poisoned champagne ruins in Bavaria

A dinner patron has died and seven people have been hospitalized after drinking Champagne believed to be laced with toxic Ecstasy or hydrocyanic acid during a Valentine’s weekend dinner at an Italian restaurant in Weiden, Germany.

Police have opened a negligent homicide investigation into the death.

Local media reports showed diners celebrated Valentine’s Day early on Sunday night at the restaurant, where they watched TV while munching on the poisonous foam.

“It has a toxic, toxic effect,” senior prosecutor Gerd Schäfer told reporters on Monday. “There are things in there that don’t really happen in a glass of Champagne.”

A local police spokesman said the bottle was opened at the table in the presence of guests and it was not clear how the substance got into the bottle.

Patrons at the restaurant have described one by one at the table starting to convulse or pass out. When first responders arrived after midnight, some of the upset diners, aged between 33 and 52, were sprawled on the floor, a police spokesman told reporters on Monday morning. “Some of them have symptoms of poisoning,” the spokesman said. A 52-year-old man died in the hospital’s emergency room, which was closed because of contamination concerns linked to the tragedy.

Laboratory reports are expected to confirm the identity of the substance, but the prosecutor said he was unsure if the information would be made public or whether an arrest was imminent.