'I was almost killed by a broccoli sandwich': Student breaks silence after eating deadly panini that left two dead
A student has broken her silence after nearly being killed by a toxic broccoli and sausage sandwich, which has allegedly caused the deaths of two people and left at least 17 more in hospital.
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Gaia Vitiello, a 24-year-old student in Naples, bought the panini from a food truck in the town of Diamante, in Calabria.
The sandwich, which contained a broccoli-like vegetable known as turnip greens, has left two people dead since last Thursday.
Speaking for the first time since eating the deadly meal, Vitiello said she and her friends all bought the same sandwich at around 4:30am on August 5 - but with one key difference.
She was the only person to add the broccoli.
She said: “My friends only had mayonnaise, sausage, and chips. I added broccoli. It was the first time I'd ever done that.
“I had diarrhea. I thought it was indigestion. The next day, the symptoms worsened. I couldn't swallow and my legs were shaking.”
Eventually, Vitiello’s sister convinced her she needed to go to the hospital for treatment.
“If my sister Alessia hadn't taken me to the hospital by force, I wouldn't be here today,” she said.
Upon being seen by doctors, she was immediately transferred to Annunziata Hospital in Cosenza.
Tamara D’Acunto, 45, was revealed as the second person to die after eating the sandwich on Wednesday.
Luigi Di Sarno, 52, was the first person to be pronounced dead after purchasing the fatal snack.
His family, including two 17-year-olds and two women in their 40s, were also hospitalised after eating the panini.
An 11-year-old boy who was at the same festival and ate a taco with guacamole is in stable condition at a hospital in Rome.
In all, 17 people have been rushed to hospital since last Thursday, all showing signs of botulism - an illness linked to turnip greens.
Authorities are investigating the outbreak and are advising people to exercise caution when buying ‘risky’ food and not to eat canned or jarred products where the safety lid has popped up, indicating the container was not properly sealed.
Police have launched an investigation into nine people, including the owner and employees of the food truck.
The truck has been closed and seized by police.
Jars of the broccoli-like vegetable have also been confiscated by health officials.
Botulism is linked to toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria and can be life-threatening for around 10 per cent of people.