21 Portuguese tourists escape deadly Dominican Republic resort fire

Twenty-one Portuguese tourists had to be evacuated and rehoused after a major fire tore through a popular resort in the Dominican Republic on Friday, destroying personal belongings and documents (but mercifully leaving all Portuguese nationals unharmed).

The blaze broke out at the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach resort in Bayahibe, a tourist destination on the country’s southeastern coast, forcing the evacuation of almost 1,700 guests, visitors and staff.

Portugal’s Foreign Minister, Paulo Rangel, has confirmed that all Portuguese citizens affected by the fire are safe and receiving assistance from Portuguese authorities.

“It was, in fact, a fire of major proportions,” he told RTP yesterday. “They are all in good health. They have now been rehoused in other hotels, and we are arranging their return.”

According to Portuguese media, at least four Portuguese lost their identification documents in the fire, while a family (also of four) reportedly lost all the belongings they had brought on holiday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is providing support through the Portuguese Embassy in Mexico, which has consular responsibility for the Dominican Republic, together with Portugal’s honorary consul in the country.

Emergency documentation is being arranged to enable those who lost passports and identification papers to return home.

Rangel stressed that there is “no cause for alarm”, although he acknowledged that those involved had experienced a traumatic ordeal and suffered significant material losses.

The fire did claim the life of a 46-year-old Italian tourist, identified by Dominican authorities as Francesca Valentino. Nine other people were injured. Three were taken to hospital, while six received treatment at the scene.

Local emergency services said around 1,690 people were evacuated from the complex which went up like a tinderbox, due to the thatched roofing materials and a ‘very strong wind’.

It is still not clear what started the fire.

The incident comes just months after heightened international scrutiny of safety standards at some Caribbean tourist resorts, with investigators expected to examine whether building materials and fire prevention measures played a role in the scale of the disaster.

But for the Portuguese families involved, the focus now is on returning home after what should have been a dream holiday abroad turned into the stuff of disaster movies.

Source: CNN Portugal/ noticiasaominuto.com

Natasha Donn

Journalist for the Portugal Resident.