Overview
- María José Ardila died after five days in intensive care following a timed alcohol-consumption contest at Sagsa Bar in Cali that left her with irreversible brain damage.
- Videos circulating online show her completing multiple rapid-drinking stages for a reported 1,500,000‑peso prize before collapsing during the sequence.
- Her family alleges the venue failed to provide first aid, says friends drove her to a clinic, and reports she stopped breathing for about 17 minutes before being resuscitated.
- The Fiscalía assigned a Unidad de Vida prosecutor, ordered evidence collection, and requested necropsy and toxicology studies by the National Institute of Legal Medicine.
- Local health inspectors and Asobares say the bar’s permits and liquor traceability were in order, while a toxicology expert warned that accelerated drinking can trigger vomiting, bronchoaspiration, and rapid neurological collapse.