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🇫🇷 France /Disasters & Emergencies

Dominican Republic Seeks to Reassure Travelers After Deadly Resort Fire

From Le Figaro · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Dominican authorities are reassuring travelers after a major fire at the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach resort in Bayahibe, which led to the evacuation of nearly 1,700 people.
  • An Italian tourist died in the blaze, and three others were hospitalized, while the resort reported an 84% occupancy rate at the time.
  • Officials are investigating the fire's cause and emphasizing that other tourist areas in the Dominican Republic are operating normally, aiming to prevent panic.

Dominican authorities are working to reassure international travelers after a significant fire engulfed part of the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach resort in Bayahibe, prompting the evacuation of almost 1,700 guests and staff. The blaze, which occurred Friday, June 19, tragically claimed the life of a 46-year-old Italian tourist, Francesca Valentino. Three other individuals required hospitalization, while six received on-site medical attention.

Emergency protocols were immediately activated, involving coordinated efforts between various government agencies, emergency services, and the hotel's staff. Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Emergency Operations Center, stated that "emergency mechanisms were activated from the first moments to protect human lives." He highlighted the "effective coordination between authorities, intervention agencies, and hotel personnel" as key to safely evacuating the 1,690 people present. Evacuated guests were relocated to nearby hotels and are reportedly receiving support.

From the first moments, emergency mechanisms were activated to protect human lives.

— Juan Manuel MéndezDirector of the Emergency Operations Center, describing the response to the fire.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. While acknowledging the material damage to the hotel infrastructure, Dominican officials are framing the incident as an "isolated event" within a single establishment. They are emphasizing that other popular tourist destinations across the country, including Bayahibe, La Romana, Punta Cana, Samaná, and Puerto Plata, continue to operate without disruption. This messaging is crucial for the Dominican Republic, a nation heavily reliant on tourism, especially as images of the fire circulated widely.

The effective coordination between authorities, intervention agencies, and hotel personnel allowed for the safe evacuation of 1,690 people.

— Juan Manuel MéndezDirector of the Emergency Operations Center, highlighting the successful evacuation effort.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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