A woman died and about 1,700 people were forced to flee after a massive fire ripped through a luxury resort in the Dominican Republic on Friday, authorities said.
The incident took place at the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach Hotel in Bayahibe, located on the southeast coast of the Caribbean country.
Fire officials brought the fire under control and an investigation is underway to determine its cause.
There was no immediate statement from the hotel franchise.
What do we know about casualties?
The DAE emergency service said in a statement that an Italian woman – identified as 46-year-old Francesca Valentino – died in the fire.
It said three people were taken to medical facilities and six others were being treated on site.
According to officials, about 1,690 tourists had to be evacuated from the resort to other hotels and nearby establishments due to the fire.
The fire spread ‘rapidly’
The flames almost completely destroyed the hotel in the resort town, which is popular with international tourists.
The country’s emergency operations center said initial observations indicated that “the fire spread rapidly” because the resort’s roof was made of thatch and due to windy conditions.
Drone footage being broadcast on local media showed plumes of dark smoke rising above the white sand beach as fires burned in several straw roof structures at the complex.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery
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