BAHAMAS – Three Americans staying at a Sandals resort in the Bahamas died suddenly and a fourth was airlifted to hospital in what may be a freak poisoning accident.
Royal Bahamian Police say foul play is not suspected.
The media from there states that the guests checked in with a local medical clinic complaining of nausea and vomiting the night before the deaths on Friday morning.
Refrigerant poisoning — Freon gas — from a malfunctioning air conditioner is being investigated as a possible culprit.
At the Sandals Emerald Bay resort in Exuma, one couple was found dead by hotel staff on Friday morning. The man was slumped against a bathroom wall and his wife was in bed; both showed signs of convulsion prior to death.
They have not been identified.
The other couple, Vincent and Donnis Chiarella, both 64, of Panama City, Florida, were in the Bahamas to celebrate a wedding anniversary.
Austin Chiarella, the couple’s son, said his mother felt paralyzed and couldn’t move when she woke up Friday morning and found her husband unresponsive.
She and her husband had swollen limbs and both showed signs of convulsion.
Vincent Chiarella was pronounced dead at the scene. Donnis Chiarella was airlifted back to the U.S. and is in hospital there in intensive care.
One of her relatives said the woman is covered in rashes.
Other guests at the hotel said staff were working on the air conditioning when the Chiarellas first arrived at Sandals.
Chiarella, his wife and the other couple who died had all sought medical treatment Thursday night at a local health clinic.
USA Today reports that the State Department is carefully monitoring the ongoing investigation in the Bahamas.
Acting Prime Minister Chester Cooper has spoken with the families of the involved guests.
None of the dead showed signs of trauma.
Freon poisoning affects the heart and lungs and causes skin irritation and burns. Stomach pain, vomiting and a burning sensation in the esophagus are also symptoms.
