14-year-old boy dies of cardiac arrest; extremely spicy chip caused death, says post mortem report

NEW YORK: A 14-year-old boy died of cardiac arrest in the USA after taking part in the viral 'Spicy Chip Challenge' which dared people to eat a single extremely hot tortilla chip. The deceased is Massachusetts native Harris Wolobah. He died after eating the extremely spicy tortilla chip.

Harris Wolobah died in September last year. However, his autopsy report came out the other week. The autopsy report stated that the boy died of cardiac arrest after ingesting a food with a large amount of a chilli pepper extract called capsaicin. The autopsy report also stated that the boy had an enlarged heart, which could have contributed to his death. It was the news agency AFP that released this information.

Pacqui, the manufacturer of the spicy chip, said it was "deeply saddened" by the death of Harris Woloba. Following the death of the boy, the company withdrew the product from the market. The chip is packaged in a coffin-shaped box with a red skull and marked 'extreme heat'. One packet costs $10. Although the company has warned children against using the chip, reports claim that many teenagers are still taking part in the 'Spicy Chip Challenge'.