As German authorities continue to search for the source of a massive E. coli outbreak that has sickened thousands across the country, the death toll from the bacteria has risen to 29. The new toll includes the deaths a 68-year-old man and 20-year-old woman in the state of Lower Saxony, and the death of a 57-year-old Frankfurt man who visited Hamburg last month. Hamburg has been hardest hit by the outbreak with the majority of the sicknesses and deaths occurring there.
Authorities say 2,808 people are currently infected. Over 700 of the cases are severe. The Robert Koch Institut said the number of new cases has started to dwindle.
Meanwhile, health officials have been unable to identify the source of the outbreak. Spanish cucumbers were initially blamed, but then tests proved those claims to be false. Authorities then said German bean sprouts may be the culprit, but so far tests on sprouts have all turned out negative for E. coli.
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