A nurse has been arrested in Lugo, northeast Italy, after a patient admitted to hospital with a routine illness was found dead with unusual amounts of potassium in her bloodstream.
As police question Daniella Poggiali, 42, about the unexplained death of 78-year-old Rosa Calderoni, they are widening their inquiry to include 37 other deaths from the same hospital. Ten of them are described as "very suspicious", according to the Daily Mail.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to the Italian newspaper Libero Quptiano, one of Poggiali's colleagues said the nurse once had a photo taken next to a patient who had died moments earlier.
"I can assure you in that all my professional years of seeing shocking photos, there were few such as these", said prosecutor Alessandro Mancini, the New York Post reports.
Another colleague of Poggiali said that the nurse was once reported to hospital authorities for giving powerful laxatives to patients to make more work for colleagues working on later shifts, the Mail reports.
Prosecutors have acknowledged that that there will be "insurmountable difficulties" in reviewing older cases because potassium fades within the bloodstream within a few days.
-
Codeword: November 4, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
JD Vance wades into choppy religious waters about wife UshaTHE EXPLAINER By emphasizing his hope that the Second Lady convert to Christianity, the Vice President of the United States is inviting controversy from across the religious spectrum
-
One great cookbook: ‘My Bombay Kitchen’The Week Recommends A personal, scholarly wander through a singular cuisine
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
