Dominican Republic: Italian citizen died

Santo Domingo's authorities have confirmed to the Italian Ambassador the death of an Italian citizen involved in the blaze at a resort in the Bayahibe area. At the hospital, the Ambassador met with Mrs. F.V.'s husband and offered him the assistance of the Embassy, along with the resort officials who are following all the other Italians involved in the fire. Mrs. F.V. reportedly suffered a respiratory crisis while on the beach, after rushing out of the resort with other tourists to evacuate their hotel rooms. She lost consciousness after inhaling carbon monoxide when a wave of smoke from the burning site engulfed her. She was transported to the hospital by private car. Italian diplomatic officials are continuing to provide assistance and check the conditions of the Italian nationals. The government of the Dominican Republic has sent the Head of Civil Protection and two Ministers to the disaster site; operational meetings have been held with the Italian Embassy and resort officials to ensure assistance during the emergency. For the time being, no other victims have been reported directly or indirectly linked to the fire. Further investigations are underway.