Holiday toddler who drank orange juice containing cleaning fluid 'making progress', as barman faces arrest

Annabel Rhodes was on holiday with her family in Cyprus when she was given the drink containing nitric acid, which a barman mistook for water.

Today, the girl was taken off the critical list, although she is still unable to speak and may suffer problems for life.

Police have opened an investigation into possible negligence and the girl's parents plan to sue the hotel.

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A hospital spokesman today said: "She is much better."

They have questioned employees at the four-star Curium Palace Hotel in the southern coastal resort of Limassol, where the incident occurred. No arrests had been made by this morning.

Annabel's parents, Mark and Judith Rhodes, have been at her bedside since she was taken to hospital on Saturday evening.

Cypriot state radio reported that the couple have lodged a complaint with police and will sue the four-star hotel.

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A police spokesman said: "The offence that is being investigated so far is a reckless and negligent act which carries a maximum penalty of two years' imprisonment."

The couple, from Bayswater in London, told the Mail that their daughter was "making progress".

A doctor treating the toddler at the Makarios hospital in Nicosia added: "Her parents are obviously quite stressed but they're trying to be as cool as they can after this very unfortunate event."

The accident happened when Mr Rhodes, 55, ordered a watered-down orange squash for his daughter from a barman, police said.

When she started screaming in pain Mr Rhodes tasted the drink himself. He too was burned and also required hospital treatment.

It is understood that dishwasher detergent had been poured into a plastic bottle and the clear, odourless solution was mistaken for water by the employee.

The liquid was sent to a state laboratory for testing and found to contain nitric acid.

Paediatrician Dr Panicos Yiallouras said that Annabel had been on a ventilator to secure her airway because the damage caused by the chemical meant that she could not breathe.

He added that there was a possibility of long-term damage.

"These chemical substances can cause strictures, they can cause granulomas (lesions) in abnormal tissue where the normal tissue has been eroded," he said.

Another doctor treating the toddler added: "We had her on a ventilator for 48 hours. Today we weaned her off it.

"If the child continues breathing on her own, that is a big step."

The newly-refurbished Curium Palace Hotel describes itself as one of Limassol's oldest establishments.

Its website adds that it "offers a perfect setting for holidaymakers seeking relaxation, culture and service in the most hospitable way".

The family are understood to have been on holiday at the resort.

Mr Rhodes is a businessman with a string of company directorships.

One of his roles is as the chief executive of two oil transport companies forming part of the Greenoak Group, which has a local office in Limassol.

The couple also have a son who is a few years older than Annabel.

Mr Rhodes is believed to have three children from a previous marriage.