Much-loved waiter chokes to death in freak mozzarella incident

A beloved waiter who worked at a London restaurant choked to death on a piece of mozzarella during his break.

Adriano Poponessi, 50, was working at a beachside restaurant at the Carbonelli resort in Sabaudia, in the province of Latina in central Italy, during the 'Sabaudia Sunset Jazz Festival' whenthe incident occurred.

During a break on July 26, Mr Poponessi ate a piece of mozzarella cheese which got stuck in his windpipe. Co-workers were unable to remove cheese blocking and called emergency services. The beloved waiter was rushed by helicopter to Santa Maria Goretti Hospital. Reports say he suffered a cardiac arrest by the time he arrived.

READ MORE: Girl, 3, found dead on popular Greece tourist beach by horrified passer-by

READ MORE: Bangkok shooting UPDATES: Six killed as gunman seen in chilling CCTV

Medics were unable to save Mr Poponessi despite working on him for around an hour. An inquiry into the death was opened by prosecutors for Latina Province.

Organisers of the music festival called off the rest of the show by the group Lucy Soul Band as a sign of respect to the waiter. Organisers said in a statement: "We are deeply saddened by Adriano’s tragic passing and join the Carbonelli people in their grief."

Staff at London's 2 Veneti restaurant added: "We share the tragic and senseless loss of our beloved friend Adriano Poponessi. Adriano touched so many lives and brought warmth to countless evenings for our customers and friends. He will be deeply missed."

A funeral is being held for Poponessi in San Luca today, Italian news outlet Corriere Della Serra reported.

This comes after a mum choked to death in a marshmallow-eating contest to find who could hold the most in their mouths

Accountant Natalie Buss, 37, was called up by the DJ to take part in the contest at a party held to raise funds for the under-10s rugby team her son played for. She swallowed handfuls of marshmallows lined up on the podium - but collapsed when she left the stage.

Paramedics were called as members of the audience including an off-duty nurse tried to help while a woman ran to a nearby school to fetch a defibrillator. But Mrs Buss couldn't be saved and the audience was left in shock with many in tears.

A pre-inquest hearing heard the event was held by popular entertainer Christopher Gibbons, 34, at Beddau RFC near Pontypridd in South Wales. Known as "Roly-Poly", he was described as an "established entertainer" and has hosted hundreds of parties as a DJ and entertainer for more than 15 years. It heard he has "since decided to stop introducing the game to people" since the marshmallow tragedy.