An Italian woman is dead and nine people were injured in a resort fire in the Dominican Republic Friday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
June 20 (UPI) -- An Italian woman was killed, nine injured and more than 1,700 evacuated from a massive fire at a beachfront resort in the Dominican Republic Friday.
Francesca Valentino, 46, of Italy, died in the fire that broke out around 11 a.m. AST at the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach, a four-star resort in Bayahibe in the La Altagracia province, officials said. Three people were taken to medical facilities and six others were treated on site, Juan Manuel Mendez, head of the Dominican Republic's Emergency Operations Center, said in a press conference.
No cause of the fire has been reported, but the Emergency Operations Center said a preliminary investigation found that portions of the resort's buildings were made of cane roofs, which are combustible, and windy conditions contributed to the fire's spread.
The Italian ambassador to the Dominican Republic met the dead woman's husband at the hospital, the Italian news agency Ansa reported. There were about 285 Italian tourists staying at the resort or nearby, and the embassy in Santo Domingo was working to help them get new passports and arrange flights home.
