Eleven people were taken to hospital after several visitors on a guided tour of the Grolsch brewery became unwell on Saturday, according to Dutch media reports. De Telegraaf first reported that multiple people fell ill during the tour, and NU and Tubantia later put the number taken to hospital at eleven.
The visitors are reported to have drunk brewery water during the tour. RTL.nl described the water as having a sour taste, and RTV Oost reported that the incident involved a hazardous substance at the factory. The brewery is located in Enschede.
The accounts differ in emphasis but agree on the core sequence: a tasting moment during the visit, followed by people becoming unwell and a hospital transfer. De Telegraaf did not give a cause in its initial reporting, and no explanation for the illness has been confirmed in the material available.
The condition of those taken to hospital has not been reported. It is also not yet clear how many visitors in total were affected, or whether the tour continued after the incident.
Watch for statements from Grolsch and from the regional safety authority on what the water contained and how the remaining visitors were cared for.
