Overview

• On July 7 in San Cayetano, seven-year-old Maylen Elena Santillán inhaled a piece of latex while inflating a balloon, causing a complete airway obstruction.
• Doctors at Hospital de Alberdi used a laryngoscope to remove the fragment during resuscitation efforts but pronounced her dead at 18:20.
• The extracted piece has been turned over to judicial authorities for forensic examination to determine how it entered her airway.
• The municipality’s Social Action department is covering funeral costs and providing emotional and financial support to Maylen’s parents and siblings.
• Health officials have warned that common play items like balloons can pose lethal asphyxiation risks for unsupervised children during school vacations.