Basel public prosecutor opens criminal case after Legionnaires’ disease fatality
The Basel-City Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened criminal proceedings on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with a Legionella outbreak in which one person has died.
The public prosecutor’s office in the Swiss city has opened proceedings ex officio and on the basis of information available to date, it said on Wednesday evening. The criminal investigation department has launched an investigation into the matter. Due to the ongoing proceedings, the office did not provide further information.
+ Two new cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Switzerland
Over the past two weeks, a total of 28 people in Basel have contracted Legionnaires’ disease. According to the city’s department of health, six people are currently still in hospital. The authorities identified the possible source of the infection – an evaporative cooling tower on the roof of the Manor department store headquarters in Kleinbasel – and shut it down on Friday.
Translated from German/reviewed by an English Department journalist
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