Officials in Italy are investigating the death of a 74-year-old father and farm owner who was crushed under thousands of pounds of falling cheese wheels, according to reports.
Giacomo Chiapparini, an Italian producer of Grana Padano − a Parmesan-style hard cheese − was in his warehouse in the Lombardy area Sunday tending to thousands of cheese wheels when a shelf collapsed, according to the BBC.
The collapse, local firefighters said, created a domino effect, bringing down the wheels and ultimately burying Chiapparini.
American executive killed in Italy:US publishing executive killed in Italy boat crash; skipper under investigation
25,000 wheels of cheese
The warehouse in Romano di Lombardia, about 31 miles east of Milan, held about 25,000 wheels of cheese on shelves, the BBC reported.
Each wheel of Grana Padano cheese weighs about 84 pounds, the outlet reported. It took 12 hours to find the farmer’s body, local firefighter Antonion Dusi said.
Fan killed in Greece:Man dies during clashes between rival supporters. UEFA postpones Champions League game
A mishap and an alarm
Bortolo Ghislotti, a neighbor of the victim, told NBC that Chiapparini and his 50-year-old son had gone to the warehouse after a machine that cleans mold from the cheese wheels set off an alarm.
“These machines clean and rotate the wheels, so when they find them even slightly out of place, they send a warning,” said Ghislotti, also the president of the local farming district.
Chiapparini’s son, Tiziano, said he left the warehouse while his father reportedly re-started the machine and the collapse took place, according to Ghislotti.
“Tiziano told me he heard a massive noise, he turned around and saw his father buried under thousands of cheese wheels,” Ghislotti told the outlet, adding that if Tiziano hadn’t left the warehouse, he would also be dead.
Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @nataliealund.
#Giacomo #Chiapparini #74yearold #farmer #crushed #death #cheese
