Mum and daughter die from ‘food poisoning’ after Christmas meal | World | News

A mother and her daughter, who fell ill after eating dinner on Christmas Eve, died of suspected food poisoning. Antonella Di Ielsi, 50, and her daughter Sara Di Vita, 15, died in a hospital in southern Italy over the weekend.

The dish is believed to include seafood, including mushrooms, fish and mussels. Autopsies will be carried out on Wednesday as authorities try to understand the cause of death, while police have retrieved remains from the family home in Pietracatella for laboratory testing, local media reported. Antonella and Sara were first admitted to Cardarelli Hospital in Campobasso on Christmas Day complaining of abdominal pain and nausea, but were sent home.

They were then returned the next day, but were sent back again on Saturday before being admitted for a third time.

Sara died that evening, and a few hours later, following “multiple organ failure”, Antonella also died.

Doctors initially suspected gastroenteritis, but medical staff began considering botulism, Listeria, fulminant hepatitis (liver failure) or “chemical poisoning” as possible causes of death as their condition worsened, investigators said.

Father Gianni Di Vita, the former mayor of Pietracatella, was also hospitalized.

He was transferred to a unit in Rome where he is said to be “stable” but remains in intensive care.

Local reports say the other girl, a 20-year-old girl, is also being kept under observation in the capital as a precaution.

It was stated that the person suspected of food poisoning did not show any symptoms because he did not attend the dinner.

Mayor Antonio Tommasone said the incident was “a tragedy that leaves us speechless.”

“The town is now empty. We are all at home, we don’t know what to say. I declared a day of mourning for the funeral and canceled all Christmas celebrations.”

According to the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, five doctors were investigated by the Campobasso prosecutor’s office while the authorities tried to understand what happened in the process that led to the death of the mother and daughter.

It is claimed that the meals were evaluated on December 23 and 24.

No other guests were reported to have fallen ill.