A British tourist is dead and several others are injured after a fire ripped through a luxury resort in the Dominican Republic early this morning. Sources confirm the blaze started on the third floor of the Royal Palm Hotel in Punta Cana, a beachfront property popular with European holidaymakers. The deceased, a 52-year-old man from Manchester, has not been formally named pending family notification.
Witnesses reported seeing flames engulfing the building’s western wing around 2 a.m. local time.
The fire department took over an hour to contain the blaze due to faulty hydrants according to an internal report leaked to this newsroom. The Foreign Office has issued an urgent travel warning for British nationals in the region advising them to avoid the hotel and contact their tour operators. A spokesman said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who died and are liaising with local authorities.
” The resort’s owner, Caribbean Dream Hotels, is a holding company registered in Panama with a history of tax avoidance and unresolved safety violations. Documents uncovered by this journalist show three prior fire code infractions at the property in the past two years. Another 14 guests were treated for smoke inhalation four remain hospitalised.
The British Embassy in Santo Domingo has dispatched a consular team to the scene. This is a developing story. More to follow.
