Mother and Daughter Die of Suspected Food Poisoning After Falling Sick on Christmas Day as Girl’s Father is Also Hospitalized

A mother and daughter have died of suspected food poisoning as the girls’ father remains ill in hospital in Italy, according to reports.

Antonella Di Ielsi, 50, and her daughter Sara Di Vita, 15, died within hours of each other at Cardarelli hospital in Campobasso, after falling seriously ill on Dec. 25, Italian outlets Corriere della Sera and L’Unione Sarda reported.

The mother and daughter fell ill after consuming a fish-based meal over Christmas and visited the emergency room twice before being discharged with a diagnosis of food poisoning and gastroenteritis, according to the outlets.

On Saturday, Dec. 27, Sara returned to the hospital as her condition had worsened. She was admitted to intensive care and died at the hospital at around 11 p.m. local time. Her mother was also hospitalized that evening and died the following day at 11 a.m., per Corriere della Sera.

The girl’s father, former town mayor Gianni Di Vita, was also hospitalized in intensive care at Spallanzani Hospital. The 55-year-old also experienced similar, but less severe symptoms, according to reports.

The family reportedly hosted a dinner with relatives on Dec. 24. Another sister who didn’t suffer any symptoms reportedly didn’t eat with the family, per L’Unione Sarda.

Vincenzo Cuzzone, head of the Intensive Care Unit at Cardarelli Hospital, told the outlet that the family suffered “multiorgan failure,” adding, “[It’s] difficult to pinpoint exactly which meal the episode refers to.”

The Campobasso Flying Squad [the investigative local police unit] is reportedly investigating the incident.

Per Corriere della Sera, investigators returned to the family home and seized foods, including mussels, cuttlefish, cod, clams and mushrooms, which were sent to the Molise Zooprophylactic Institute in Rome for testing and potential poisoning. They are also focusing on meals consumed by the family from Dec. 23 onwards, including pasta with tomato sauce.

Five doctors working at the Cardarelli Hospital and two on-call doctors are under investigation for the deaths of Antonella and Sara Di Vita. They have been charged with counts of multiple manslaughter, negligent personal injury, and medical malpractice, per Corriere della Sera.

The outlet reported that investigators are also considering potential “accidental contamination of flour with rat poison,” after discovering that a flour mill owned by Gianni was recently disinfected for rats.

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PEOPLE has reached out to the Campobasso Flying Squad and Cardarelli Hospital for comment but didn’t immediately receive a response.