A nine-year-old girl has tragically lost her life after she ate an ice cream while she was on holiday, local news outlets have sadly reported.
The Spanish newspaper Diario Sur reported that Habiba Chishti, who it is believed came from Halifax, Yorkshire in the north of England, had been visiting Costa del Sol in the south of Spain last Saturday.
The schoolgirl suffered from anaphylactic shock, believed to be caused by allergies, and passed away on Monday, after being transported to a hospital in Malaga. But her grieving parents claimed they were told that the ice cream their daughter ate did not contain nuts.
Habiba, alongside her parents Dr Wajid Azam Chishti (who is a dentist), mother Nadia and two siblings, had visited Spain as the children took some time off during the half-term break. The family stayed at the Club La Costa World during their time, the resort confirmed, and it was at a nearby shopping centre that Habiba ate the ice cream that allegedly cost her her life.
"The management at Club La Costa World resort would like to offer their heartfelt condolences to the family following the loss of their daughter on February 18, 2019," the resort said following Habiba's death last week.
"Having eaten ice cream at a local shopping center, the 9-year-old girl suffered a severe allergic reaction. Despite the best efforts of doctors and the emergency services, the young girl was placed on life support but subsequently died. We would like to thank the emergency services for their quick and appropriate responses and our staff for the continuing support of the family at this difficult time."
Shortly after eating the ice cream last Saturday, Habiba collapsed, and she was rushed to hospital and placed on life support, but sadly, Habiba passed away last Monday. Her parents flew back to Britain with the nine-year-old's body in tow, while her relatives said prayers at their local mosque.
"It is all very sad and we can't understand what has happened," said her uncle, Zafar Chishti, while another uncle said that the parents were especially upset over what happened because the entire family had taken great pains to keep Habiba safe from allergic reactions.
"Habiba knew about the nut allergy and was very careful. Her dad was on top of it and this has never happened before. They had asked the ice cream place whether they had any nuts and they had been told not."
A cousin of Habiba's doubted that it was the ice cream that killed her.
"Habiba had a nut allergy, but she was fine with dairy products and ice cream," she said. "We are still not sure her eating the ice cream was the cause of her death, and we are not sure if she ate all the ice cream anyway."
According to news outlet El Mundo, an investigation into Habiba's death has been opened.
