Elderly man dies while in quarantine at Howard Springs after ‘skolling vodka’

An elderly man quarantining at Howard Springs has died from apparent alcohol poisoning overnight, the man’s friends told the NT News.

AN elderly man quarantining at Howard Springs has died from apparent alcohol poisoning overnight on Monday, the man’s friends have told the NT News.

Lucas Malasti, who met the 77-year-old during repatriation from overseas, said he had brought a duty free bottle of vodka with him to Howard Springs and drank the whole thing in one go.

“This gentleman travelled with my friend from Singapore and he got a bottle of duty free vodka in Singapore,” he said.

“He skolled a bottle of vodka, went to his room and was stone dead the next morning.”

Mr Malasti said he understood the man had been travelling home from the UK to see his son who was living in Western Australia.

Another man who had been travelling with the 77-year-old, who did not wish to be named, said he believed the NT government had failed in its duty of care by not searching the man’s bags for any alcohol.

“This is a dry area and we believe that if he didn’t have that (vodka) he would be still with us,” he said.

“Bag searches and stuff like that should have been carried out.”

Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker confirmed the man had been repatriating from overseas.

“We’re just looking at whether they had any existing other issues but certainly the initial advice is not indicating that it was a death relating to Covid,” he said.

The Territory government was contacted for comment but did not respond by deadline on Monday.

Originally published as Elderly man dies while in quarantine at Howard Springs after ‘skolling vodka’