Prosecutors in Rome have opened a manslaughter investigation after a British girl with a peanut allergy died during a holiday with her family.
The 14-year-old had dined at a pizzeria in the Gianicolense district and went into anaphylactic shock about 15 minutes later after the family returned to their hotel.
It is believed she had consumed a dessert containing traces of the peanut allergen in dried fruit, according to reports in the Italian press.
She died soon after arriving at San Camillo hospital. Her father had to be hospitalised with heart problems after going into shock.
The incident happened last Thursday. It was the first meal the family had had after arriving in Rome. They had booked tours at the Colosseum and Vatican Museums for during their stay.
A spokesperson for the British embassy confirmed it was supporting the family of a British child who had died in Italy and was in contact with local authorities.
It is unclear whether the restaurant was aware of the girl’s allergy.
As is normal in such cases in Italy, the manslaughter inquiry is against unknown individuals. Police will inspect for traces of peanuts and other types of dried fruit served in dishes at the restaurant.
The case comes almost nine years after a seven-year-old British boy, Cameron Wahid, who had a dairy allergy, died after eating a plate of pasta during an October half-term holiday with his family on the Amalfi coast.
The family of four were on a coach tour of the coastline when the group stopped for lunch at a restaurant in the town of Scala. Wahid had an allergic reaction after eating a plate of pasta made with milk. He had a heart attack in the town’s square and was revived by a doctor on the scene but died later in hospital.
His family, from East Grinstead in West Sussex, fought a long legal battle against the Margherita Villa Giuseppina restaurant, which had been made aware of Wahid’s dairy allergy.
In 2019 a waiter, Ester Di Lascio, was found guilty of culpable manslaughter by a court in Salerno and handed a two-year suspended sentence. The restaurant’s chef, Luigi Cioffi, was cleared. The family was awarded £288,000 in compensation.
Cameron’s mother described his death as “the worst day of our lives”.
