A British tourist has died in a fire at a resort in the Dominican Republic, the UK Foreign Office confirmed last night in an urgent travel alert. The blaze ripped through the Hotel Caribe in Punta Cana in the early hours of Tuesday, trapping guests in their rooms. One victim has been identified as 34-year-old Mark Simmons from Leeds, who was on holiday with his family. Three others were hospitalised with smoke inhalation.
The Foreign Office is now advising British nationals to exercise caution, particularly at smaller hotels, and to ensure fire safety measures are in place before booking. 'We are urgently investigating the circumstances of this tragic incident and are supporting the family,' a spokesperson said.
This is the latest in a string of deaths at Dominican Republic resorts over the past year. In May, a US tourist died of suspected methanol poisoning at a resort in La Romana. Autopsy results are pending. The Dominican tourism board has faced criticism over inadequate safety checks and weak regulation.
Local police have cordoned off the Hotel Caribe. Witnesses report that fire alarms failed to sound. A guest from Canada, Rebecca Torres, said: 'We smelled smoke but there was no alarm. People were banging on doors to wake each other up. It was chaos.'
The Dominican attorney general's office has opened a criminal investigation. The hotel's owner, Dominican Hospitality Group, has been implicated in previous tax evasion and safety code violations, according to leaked government documents.
The story is developing. We will update as more details emerge.
