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.
-
Do you have to pay taxes on student loan forgiveness?The Explainer As of 2026, some loan borrowers may face a sizable tax bill
-
Planning a move? Here are the steps to take next.the explainer Stay organized and on budget
-
What should you look out for when buying a house?The Explainer Avoid a case of buyer’s remorse
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
