Man killed and 9 more in hospital after eating 'contaminated' broccoli

A man has died and nine others have been rushed to hospital after they ate a sandwich containing 'contaminated' broccoli.

Luigi Di Sarno, 52, an artist and musician, tragically passed away in Italy after eating a broccoli and sausage sandwich from a food truck along the Diamante seafront in Cosenza province. The victims, including two teenagers, were all admitted to the intensive care unit at the nearby Annunziata Hospital.

Among those receiving medical attention are Mr Di Sarno's relatives, with two patients still fighting for their lives in hospital. This incident is part of a wider botulism scare linked to toxins from Clostridium botulinum bacteria, which has also prompted health warnings for tea drinkers.

Unverified reports suggest a 38-year-old woman may have also died after eating a taco with guacamole at a festival in Cagliari. With the Paola Public Prosecutor's Office calling for an 'immediate seizure of a commercial product', the nation remains on edge.

The Calabria Region's Department of Health and Welfare announced: "The emergency procedure established in these cases has been activated, which requires immediate notification to the Poison Control Center in Pavia, the only national centre designated for the management of botulism."

"No region or hospital in the country is authorised to store the antivenom in their own facilities. This serum, however, is exclusively available to the Ministry of Health, which holds it in designated secure locations and distributes it only through the Lombardy Poison Control Centre.

"The first two vials, used for the first patients, were sent directly from the Military Pharmacy in Taranto. However, as the number of cases increased, additional supplies became necessary.

"Yesterday, the Calabria Region, through Azienda Zero, provided a 118 aircraft that flew to the San Camillo Hospital in Rome, where the ministry had centralised additional vials of the antivenom to facilitate distribution."

A friend of Mr Di Sarno expressed their grief on social media, writing: "The world loses once again a beautiful person, leaving a void in all those who truly cared for him.

"We had rare encounters in recent times but mutual respect never waned, we had a beer pending and many stories to share. It will be for another world, rest in peace!".

This incident involving contaminated broccoli follows closely on the heels of a botulism outbreak last month, where eight individuals reportedly fell ill after consuming tainted guacamole at a festival in Sardinia.

An 11-year-old boy remains in intensive care at the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, having been airlifted from Cagliari.

Diamante's Mayor, Achille Ordine, has urged the public not to 'create panic' in the wake of an outbreak, as investigations are underway by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Paola. The ASP of Cosenza has imposed a health block on activities 'as a precautionary measure'.