Dutch students break off skiing trip in France after alleged poisoning

Hundreds of Dutch students have returned home early from skiing holidays in the French Alps after several suddenly fell ill amid suspicions that they were deliberately administered a knock-out drug.

Around 450 students from Utrecht left the French resort of Risoul, with those affected complaining of attacks of the shakes, memory loss and vomiting. Nine students were involved, of whom five were hospitalized, public broadcaster NOS reported on Saturday.

A further 13 students from Leiden, Nijmegen, Maastricht and Leeuwaarden were also affected, it reported.

The students told NOS that they suspected a knock-out drug had been added to their drinks.

Despite increased security, further incidents occurred.

A bar under suspicion

An NOS investigation found that a certain bar was at the centre of the allegations. The manager rejected the allegations, saying there was a strong focus on security at the bar, and that video recordings had been handed to police.

A nationwide campaign is currently under way in France to protect revellers from knock-out drugs after repeated incidents in clubs and discos.

Specially trained police are staffing a 24-hour hotline, and hospitals have been instructed to conduct toxicological investigations on patients being admitted unconscious. Tracing the drugs later is impossible.