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Canadian Oktoberfest man dies in tram smash

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Canadian Oktoberfest man dies in tram smash
Photo: DPA

A Canadian man visiting the Munich Oktoberfest died at the weekend after he was knocked down by a tram while drunk, police said on Monday. Officials also said that beer consumption was up – as well as booze-related injuries.

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The 26-year-old Canadian, identified only as Leslie M., was trying to cross the tram line at around 7 pm on Saturday from between two cars stuck in a traffic jam while "in a drunken state," authorities said in a statement.

"He was taken to hospital and attempts were made to resuscitate him on the way but he died a short time later," the police said.

Leslie M. had travelled from Winnipeg with a friend especially to visit the beer festival.

Every year, around seven million people from all over the world come to the southern German city of Munich for a 16-day party, during which roughly the same number of Mass (litre-sized glasses) of beer are consumed.

At the half-way stage this year, some 3.6 million people have visited the Oktoberfest, with the same volume of litres of beer downed, the Süddeutsche Zeitung daily, said on Monday.

The League Against Fraudulent Pouring – an organisation fighting stingy servings – maintains that most of these glasses were not filled properly, though.

And while this may be the case, under-filling has not seemed to stop visitors overdoing it. The Red Cross has already treated 445 people for alcohol poisoning, most of whom were under 30. This is 20 percent more than in 2011.

There have also been more arrests and more injuries than last year, and the lost and found tent has already racked up an interesting collection of forgotten items. Around 200 mobile phones, a wedding ring, a French horn and a leg brace are among the items waiting to be claimed.

At least one dog generally ends up in the lost and found each year but so far, none have been found owner-less.

In fact, one of the only aspects of the festival to have gone down this year is the amount of veal being ordered. Chicken consumption on the other hand, has gone up by five percent already.

AFP/The Local/jcw

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