A FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD schoolgirl basketball player has died from a suspected allergic shock after eating a meal with her teammates thought to contain milk.
Sofia Di Vico, a teen basketball player from Maddaloni, near Naples, was having dinner with her teammates when she suddenly became unwell.
She was visiting Ostia, near Rome, for the “Mare di Roma Trophy in Pink” tournament.
But after eating with her teammates, around 10.40pm, Sofia started struggling to breathe.
She struggled to get out the words “I can’t breathe”, La Sicilia reported.
The teen then suddenly collapsed.
Her quick-thinking dad then stepped in, carrying his daughter to her room and giving her allergy medications – but she didn’t seem to improve.
Emergency services were called and Sofia was rushed to the nearby Grassi Hospital.
Sadly, there was nothing that could be done to save the girl and she was pronounced dead by doctors.
Sofia was severely allergic to milk proteins, but it is not yet known if the scrambled eggs and green beans she was eating contained traces of milk or cheese.
The restaurant had reportedly been made aware of the teen’s serious lactose intolerance.
An autopsy has been ordered to formally determine the cause of the young athlete’s death.
L’Unione Sarda reported that a manslaughter case had opened, with the restaurant’s kitchen being locked down by police.
The tournament Sofia’s team was due to compete in was cancelled after the tragedy.
It announced: “At such a dramatic time, we feel it is our duty to pause, out of respect for the grief of her family and teammates.
“There are no adequate words to describe such a profound and unjust loss.”
The Italian Basketball Federation also cancelled a second upcoming tournament, writing: “This is a huge tragedy that affects the entire Campania basketball movement.”
The Mayor of Maddaloni, where Sofia is from, said the town is in shock.
He said “it’s a day of profound sadness for all of us”, adding “our deepest thoughts and prayers go out to little Sofia”.
It comes after an 18-year-old Exeter University student died on her mum’s shoulder after having a terrifying allergic reaction in Morroco.
