Two people have died and 14 others have been hospitalized following a botulism outbreak linked to contaminated sandwiches purchased from a street vendor in the coastal town of Diamante, Italy. The deaths occurred after victims consumed sausage and turnip top sandwiches containing vegetables preserved in oil.
Luigi Di Sarno, a 52-year-old artist and musician from Cercola near Naples, was the first victim. He died after eating a sandwich from the food truck while returning from a family holiday in Calabria. After consuming the food on Thursday, August 1, Di Sarno fell ill while driving on the highway near Lagonegro in Potenza and was forced to pull over. Emergency services responded, but he died before reaching the hospital.
The second victim, Tamara D’Acunto, 45, from Diamante, died on Wednesday, August 6, after purchasing a similar sandwich from the same vendor. Her funeral took place the following day. Both victims had consumed sandwiches containing sausages and turnip tops, a vegetable similar to broccoli.
Of the 14 people hospitalized with food poisoning after eating from the truck, five remain in intensive care at Annunziata Hospital in Cosenza. The victims include two teenagers and several family members of the deceased.
Italian health officials confirmed botulism was detected in samples taken from patients arriving at the hospital. The Italian National Institute of Health reported that several foods found in the truck were contaminated with the toxin. Officials ordered the immediate seizure of commercial products, thought to be a vegetable similar to broccoli preserved in oil.
A prosecutor working on the case assumed the food truck owner had only used “one kitchen tool to handle the food,” adding that otherwise the contamination would be inexplicable. The Paola Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating 10 people in connection with the outbreak, including the street vendor and multiple doctors who treated Di Sarno and D’Acunto before their deaths.
Multiple managers of companies manufacturing the suspected contaminated products are also under investigation. Francesco Liserre, the lawyer representing the street vendor, maintained that products on the food truck were stored in refrigeration and opened when needed. He indicated his client is devastated and convinced the contamination was already present in the products when purchased.
Prosecutors have ordered a nationwide seizure of the products causing the alleged food poisoning. The vendor’s food truck has been shut down, and suspect products have been seized while investigations continue. Autopsy results for the victims have not been released.
Botulism is caused by toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria, which attack the body’s nervous system. The condition causes difficulty breathing, muscle paralysis, and death in severe cases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, foodborne botulism occurs when people consume foods contaminated with botulinum toxin. Common sources include improperly canned, preserved, or fermented homemade foods, though store-bought products can also be contaminated.
The Italian Ministry of Health activated emergency protocols following the outbreak, coordinating with military depots to rush antitoxin serum to hospitals. The treatment is not routinely stocked in all medical facilities, prompting emergency airlifts. A ministry spokesperson confirmed there are cases of botulism in the area, but could not confirm victim identities.
This outbreak follows another botulism case that occurred approximately two weeks earlier in Sardinia. A 38-year-old woman died after eating a taco with guacamole at a festival in Cagliari, and an 11-year-old boy was flown to Rome for hospitalization after consuming the same contaminated food. That incident led to a recall of Metro Chef avocado pulp products.
The Calabria Region’s Department of Health and Welfare emphasized that emergency procedures require immediate notification to the Poison Control Centre in Pavia, Italy’s only national center designated for botulism management. The department noted that no region or hospital in the country is authorized to store antivenom in their facilities, as the serum is exclusively available through the Ministry of Health and distributed only through the Lombardy Poison Control Centre.
Italian authorities are managing multiple botulism outbreaks simultaneously, prompting calls for stricter preservation regulations and enhanced vendor inspections. The cases highlight risks associated with oil-preserved vegetables, which create oxygen-free environments where Clostridium botulinum bacteria can thrive if sterilization is inadequate.
