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A 45-year-old woman has become the second person to die after eating a sandwich from a food truck in Italy amid a botulism outbreakTamara D’Acunto died after purchasing a sausage and turnip top sandwich in the town of Diamante, according to a local media outlet Luigi Di Santo, 52, also died after consuming the food
Two people have now died and fourteen others have been hospitalized after eating sandwiches amid a botulism outbreak in Italy, according to local media reports.
Tamara D’Acunto, 45, died after purchasing a sausage and turnip top sandwich from a food truck in the town of Diamante, located along the coast in Calabria, per Italian news agency Ansa, which reported that the sandwich contained a vegetable similar to broccoli. ITV previously reported that officials had ordered the immediate seizure of a commercial product, thought to be broccoli in oil.
D’Acunto, from Diamante, died on Wednesday, Aug. 6, and her funeral took place the following day, per Il Sole 24 Ore.
Luigi Di Santo, a 52-year-old artist and musician from Cercola, near Naples, also died after consuming a sandwich from the truck, PEOPLE previously reported.
The deaths came amid a botulism outbreak, local newspaper Corriere del Mezzogiorno reported, citing the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS).
Luigi Di Santo.
Luigi Di Sarno/Facebook
Fourteen others have been hospitalized with food poisoning, up from nine, after eating food from the truck, per the outlet, which noted that the Paola Public Prosecutor’s Office is now investigating. Five of those hospitalized are in ICU.
According to the translated Corriere del Mezzogiorno article, citing the ISS, several of the foods found in the truck were contaminated with botulism.
A prosecutor working on the case stated that they assumed the owner of the vehicle in question had only used “one kitchen tool to handle the food,” adding, “Otherwise it’s inexplicable,” per Corriere del Mezzogiorno.
Ten people are under investigation following the incident, including the street vendor and multiple doctors who reportedly treated Di Santo and D’Acunto before their deaths, the newspaper stated, citing the Paola Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Multiple managers of the companies manufacturing the product thought to have been contaminated are also under investigation, the outlet stated.
Lawyer Francesco Liserre, who is representing the street vendor, insisted the products on sale on the food truck “were stored in the refrigerator and opened when needed,” claiming his client is “devastated,” per Corriere del Mezzogiorno.
“He is convinced that the contamination was already in the products,” Liserre said, according to the newspaper.
The victims’ autopsy results are yet to be released to confirm their cause of death. Botulism was detected in the first few samples taken from patients arriving at the Annunziata Hospital in Cosenza, per Ansa.
A photo of the Annunziata Hospital in Cosenza, Italy, where several patients were taken.
Getty
Prosecutors have now ordered a nationwide seizure of the products causing the alleged food poisoning, the news agency stated.
A spokesperson for ISS said it could “confirm that there are cases of botulism in the area” when approached by PEOPLE for comment. However, they weren’t able to confirm the identities of the victims.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), botulism is caused by the toxin clostridium botulinum. It attacks the body’s nerves and causes difficulty breathing, muscle paralysis and death in rare cases.
“Foodborne botulism can happen by eating foods that have been contaminated with botulinum toxin,” the CDC states. “Common sources of foodborne botulism are homemade foods that have been improperly canned, preserved or fermented. Though uncommon, store-bought foods also can be contaminated with botulinum toxin.”
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The incident comes about two weeks after a 38-year-old woman died after eating a taco with guacamole at a festival in Cagliari, located on the Italian island of Sardinia, PEOPLE previously reported.
An 11-year-old boy was reportedly flown to Rome from Sardinia and hospitalized after he also ate the guacamole.
PEOPLE was unable to locate contact details for lawyer Francesco Liserre and the Paola Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Dining and Cooking