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Theresien Hospital Mannheim
Photo: Ulrich Roth / IMAGO
In a Mannheim hospital, a patient is said to have turned off the necessary oxygen for her 79-year-old roommate in November.
Now the 79-year-old has died.
According to the prosecutor, it is still unclear whether her death on December 17 is a result of the incident.
"Investigations into this are ongoing," said a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office.
The "Bild" newspaper had previously reported.
The daughter of the 79-year-old had made serious accusations against the hospital shortly after the incident.
The clinic should have moved her mother's roommate.
The 72-year-old bed neighbor of the 79-year-old is said to have turned off the device because she felt disturbed by the noise.
Although the hospital staff pointed out that the oxygen supply was vital for the patient, according to previous investigations, she turned it off again shortly afterwards, the police said.
The 79-year-old was then revived.
The suspect has been in custody since then – still for attempted manslaughter, as the spokeswoman for the public prosecutor said.
If there is a connection between the shutdown of the device and the death of the old woman, the charge could still change to manslaughter.
The Christian sponsor of the clinic announced that the incident had occurred in Mannheim's Theresien Hospital, as reported by "Mannheimer Morgen".
"We extremely regret the incident and are therefore interested in a complete clarification by the investigative authorities, which we immediately involved," said a statement from the facility.
The hospital supports the further clarification of the facts "with all the means available to us".
kha/dpa