Fury in Canary Islands as tourist dies after being sent home from hospital twice | World | News

A tourist has died in a holiday flat at a popular destination after being discharged twice by medics. Letizia Ciampi, from Italy, began experiencing difficulty breathing and chest pain shortly after her flight landed on Wednesday morning (December 31). She had travelled to Fuerteventura for a short winter-sun break and to visit her friend.

Her friend took her to A&E, where she underwent an X-ray. However, doctors reportedly found her in good health and discharged her, telling her she was likely just a little stressed. They advised her to have further tests after returning home and reassured her that there was nothing urgent to worry about. Back at her flat in Corralejo, northern Fuerteventura, her symptoms did not improve.

That afternoon, she returned to the hospital by ambulance, where she was discharged again after receiving IV fluids and medication.

She sent her friend a final WhatsApp message, saying she didn’t feel up to the New Year’s Eve dinner they had planned. The next day, her friend, who lives on Fuerteventura, tried to call her but received no answer.

Concerned, he attempted to reach the flat’s landlord, managing contact only on Friday. Firefighters had to break down the door, which had been locked from the inside.

The 47-year-old was found curled up on the bed, with some drops of blood on the sheet. She was no longer breathing.

Ms Ciampi, from Bagno a Ripoli near Florence, worked as a sales agent for a food company. She was sporty, health-conscious, a gym member and enjoyed playing padel, as reported by NeedToKnow. She had also been involved in politics, once running for office in Florence with Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right People of Freedom party.

“Never a warning sign, just a bit of flu in the days before leaving for the Canaries,” her devastated friend Patrizia Faraoni told Italian media. “But if she went to the emergency room there twice, it clearly means she was really unwell.”

Spanish authorities ordered a post-mortem, which was scheduled for Monday (January 5), to determine whether her death was an accident or a case of medical negligence. Police have seized both medical reports linked to her two visits to emergency services at the Corralejo health centre and are reportedly examining the treatment she received. Medical staff involved are also expected to be interviewed once the autopsy results are available.

Italian media have speculated she may have suffered a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung) or pulmonary oedema (too much fluid in the lungs), which medics failed to detect.

Her mother told Italian media: “She was all I had, it was just the two of us, my beloved daughter. I don’t know how to go on.”