Body of sports journalist found burnt in Italy

ROME – A man’s charred body found by firefighters in farmland in the southern Italian province of Salerno was identified as a local sports journalist, prosecutors said on July 19.

Firefighters extinguishing a fire in a farm plot in the municipality of Eboli, in the southern Campania region, discovered the body, which was later identified as Luigi Esposito, the prosecutor of Salerno, Raffaele Cantone, wrote in a press release.

“Results of the initial investigative checks indicate that the incident is likely connected to homicidal conduct,” he wrote.

Italy’s national order of journalists confirmed that the 53-year-old man known as Luca was a registered journalist covering sports for various local news organisations as a commentator and editor.

He had a day job at the regional environmental agency, the order said in a note.

“He was apparently killed by gunfire... and then set on fire amid the vegetation,” wrote the order.

National president of the order Carlo Bartoli said they were awaiting the investigation “to understand the context in which our colleague’s brutal killing took place”. AFP