17 people in Germany hospitalised after eating potato salad
Several people fell ill after eating potato salad at an event in Aachen, Germany, and 17 were hospitalised. The likely cause is believed to be food spoiled by the heat.
Seventeen people who attended an event in the German city of Aachen have been taken to hospital after eating potato salad. Rescue services were first called to help one person who had lost consciousness, but when they arrived they found five more people unwell. Several of them were lying on the floor, and all had similar symptoms – nausea, dizziness and vomiting.
Because of the high number of casualties, emergency teams declared a mass illness and sent additional ambulances to the scene. In total, 17 event participants were hospitalised. According to Aachen police, everyone who fell ill had eaten potato salad, which was likely spoiled by the high outdoor temperature.
The response involved ten ambulances, several emergency doctors and volunteers from the Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe aid organisation. The event was held at a deaf centre, so sign-language interpreters who were already there helped medical workers communicate with the patients.
Fire crews also inspected the building to check for carbon monoxide or other hazardous gases, but no such substances were found. An investigation is under way, and the leading theory is food poisoning.
