A woman has died and 118 people have been hospitalised after eating at a pizzeria in Pombal, Paraíba, Brazil. The victim, 44-year-old Raíssa Maritein Bezerra e Silva, died on Tuesday morning after consuming pizza at La Favoritta on Sunday evening.
According to the Pombal Region Hospital, she was admitted with abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhoea—classic symptoms of food poisoning—and her condition deteriorated rapidly. She was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit but died at 8.59am on Tuesday.
Health authorities closed the pizzeria after inspections found serious breaches of health regulations. Inspector Sérgio Freitas of Agevisa reported insects, improper food storage, rusty equipment, and inadequate temperature control, calling the establishment “unfit to operate under any circumstances.”
Of the 118 hospitalised, 74 were treated at Pombal Region Hospital and 40 at the Emergency Care Unit. Many presented with diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. The pizzeria’s owner has been questioned by police, and investigations are ongoing.
