British girl, 14, with peanut allergy collapses and dies after family's pizza dinner in Rome

Skyler, 14, was visiting the Italian capital with her family when she tragically died after eating pizza and dessert at a restaurant on the first evening of their holiday

A British teenager with a peanut allergy has tragically died after eating pizza and dessert in Rome.

The 14-year-old, named Skyler by Italian media, was on holiday with her parents when the tragedy happened. The family, who travelled to the Italian capital for a week-long holiday during which they planned to visit museums and archaeological sites, were staying in the Gianicolense neighbourhood of the city.

On Thursday last week, Skyler, her parents and her two siblings decided to have pizza as their first dinner in Rome. However, just 15 minutes after the family had dinner at the "I love pizza kebab" restaurant, which is located close to their B&B, the teen began feeling ill.

Her symptoms including her throat tightening, difficulty breathing, her heart pounding, chills and tremors throughout her body. Her worried parents tried to calm Skyler down and asked staff at their B&B for help, reports say. Staff called the emergency services, who rushed to the hotel, but when paramedics arrived they found Skyler unconscious.

They tried to resuscitate and bring her to nearby San Camillo hospital by ambulance, but sadly Skyler died of anaphylactic shock even before reaching the medical facility, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported. According to the publication, the British family were planning to visit the Vatican Museums the following day before heading to the Colosseum and the Imperial Fora.

Investigators from the Monteverde police station launched an investigation after speaking to the girl's parents, who explained she was allergic to peanuts. Skyler's family also said that in the past she experienced serious allergic reactions, so she would avoid anything that might include peanuts, carefully reading food labels.

The family said they would also enquire about allergens when eating in restaurants. However, it is unclear if the restaurant was made aware of the teen's allergies before the tragedy.

According to Corriere della Sera, investigators have spoken to the restaurant's owners. ASL Roma 3, which looks after health services in that district of the city, has begun hygienic and health checks, also to verify the presence of allergen lists in the pizza restaurant.

Investigators said they are looking into whether the allergen was present in the pre-packaged dessert Skyler had. The family has reportedly returned to England and Skyler's body will be repatriated once the medical-legal investigations, ordered by the Prosecutor's Office, are completed.

Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening allergic reaction that happens very quickly. It can be caused by food, medicine or insect stings, the NHS explains. Symptoms usually start within minutes of coming into contact with something you're allergic to, such as a food, medicine or insect sting.

Symptoms include:

• swelling of your throat and tongue
• difficulty breathing or breathing very fast
• difficulty swallowing, tightness in your throat or a hoarse voice
• wheezing, coughing or noisy breathing
• feeling tired or confused
• feeling faint, dizzy or fainting
• skin that feels cold to the touch
• blue, grey or pale skin, lips or tongue – if you have brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet

You may also have a rash that's swollen, raised or itchy. The NHS says the emergency services need to be called immediately if you think you or someone else is having an anaphylactic reaction.

The Mirror has contacted the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) for comment.