Man dies after winning beer drinking contest

A Spanish man has died after he downed 13 pints in 20 minutes during an annual beer drinking competition in Murcia, in the country’s south west.

Joaquín Alcaraz Gracia took part in the annual beer drinking competition during a festival in the Gea y Truyols district of Murcia, which sees contestants down as much beer as possible within a 20 minute timeframe.

According to local reports Gracia drank around six litres of beer and won the competition. The 45-year-old is reported to have lifted his trophy in the air but the celebrations soon turned tragic as Garcia fell ill.

Witnesses said that Garcia started vomiting, and did not stop. He was seated in a chair and appeared to sleep while the emergency services were called.

Municipality vice president Pedro Rodríguez told the Hoy newspaper: “He vomited a lot but I sat with him for ten minutes, and he was sleeping and snoring away.”

However by the time emergency services arrived at the Garcia was said to be in cardiac arrest and was rushed to hospital. He died shortly after being admitted to hospital.

The Huffington Post reported that alcohol consumption is thought to be a factor in Garcia’s death but officials have not confirmed his specific cause of death. The Post added that the local mayor, José Manuel Gracia, told local newspapers that Garcia had only drunk two to three litres during the competition and not six.

The beer drinking competition has been part of the area’s festival for 15 years, but in light of Garcia’s death, this year’s festivities have been suspended.