The investigation into the deaths of three American tourists in the Bahamas continues, as authorities in both countries work together to shed light on this tragedy.
Nightmare in paradise. Three American tourists died in a hotel in the Bahamas and a fourth woman was taken to hospital for reasons that have yet to be clarified. If the authorities quickly announced that they did not suspect homicide, the deaths of these holidaymakers still remain unanswered. The two couples were each found in their respective villas, and would have, the day before the tragedy, been treated because they felt sick, reports “USA Today”. Samples were collected from the corpses but also from the rooms of tourists in order to send them to a laboratory in the United States for analysis. Local authorities are hoping to find out what led to these tragic deaths.
The question is whether they succumbed after being contaminated by something. “We really want to know what caused this,” Bahamas Police Commissioner Paul Rolle said. “They were all treated at different times (the day before at the hospital, editor’s note) and they ate in different places,” added Paull Rolle during a press conference. “We’re checking all of this out and hopefully we’ll be able to figure out if it’s food or something else that’s causing this.” He also revealed the identity of the victims. Michael and Robbie Phillips, 68 and 65, were the first couple from Tennessee. Vincent Paul and Donnis Chiarella came from Florida and celebrated their wedding anniversary. The wife was taken to hospital and then transferred to Florida and was still in serious condition on Monday. Their son told ABC News that he was able to talk to his mother. She told him that she woke up “without being able to move” with her husband lying on the ground. “Her legs and arms were numb, she couldn’t move and she started screaming for help.”
“We are closely following the investigations of the local authorities”
In Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price confirmed the deaths of the three US citizens and offered “his sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those who died.” “We are closely following local authorities’ investigations into the cause of death, and we stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance,” he added.
“USA Today” recalls that these deaths occur three years after 20 people died in Costa Rica due to adulterated alcohol. Ten American tourists also died in Dominica the same year, forcing the country to increase its health inspections. ABC News reports that a Deleware family fell seriously ill seven years ago at a hotel in the Virgin Islands. U.S. authorities had determined that methyl bromide, a highly toxic pesticide banned for indoor residential use in 1984, was to blame and had been used repeatedly at that resort.