Three partygoers have died and seven others have been left injured after dry ice was thrown into a swimming pool at a blogger’s birthday party in Russia.
The victims were left with chemical burns and unable to breath at Ekaterina Didenko’s 29th birthday party, when her husband, Valentin Didenko, threw 25 kilograms of dry ice into the pool in a bid to create a dramatic ‘visual effect’.
Mr Didenko was one of the three fatalities, alongside guests Natalie Monakova and Yuri Alferov, who were both confirmed dead at the scene. It’s believed that all three were in the pool when the dry ice was released.
Mum-of-two Ms Didenko is a highly qualified pharmacist, who also runs a successful Instagram blog, which offers advice on medicines for home use.
Taking to the channel, which has more than one million followers, she said:
Valya is not with us anymore. Or Natalia. Or Yuri. I did not cry yesterday. Today I just exploded. I thought it was not true, it was a nightmare.
She went on to say that she had signed a document which prevented her from disclosing any more information about the fatal incident.
Dry ice is made by freezing carbon dioxide, as a result it produces a heavy vapour when put into water. This can be highly dangerous if released in a poorly ventilated space, as it can cause high levels of carbon dioxide to enter into the blood stream.
Mr Didenko had reportedly wanted to ‘create an impressive steam show’ as party guests jumped into the pool, however people began fainting as soon as the ice was poured in.
Just moments earlier, guests had been celebrating, laughing and raising a toast to Ms Didenko for her birthday.
The Russian Investigative Committee confirmed a criminal case was opened into causing death by negligence.
According to local media, the cause of death has been recorded as ‘mechanical asphyxia’ because of blocked airways, in a preliminary report.
Two people have been discharged from hospital, however the condition of the remaining five is still unknown.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.