Tourists die at Sandals, Bahamas

Three tourists have died at a luxury Sandals resort in the Bahamas after falling ill on Friday, officials said.

An American couple staying at the five-star Sandals Emerald Bay resort in Exuma suffered convulsions and complained of feeling ill before their death, detectives said.

After being alerted to the death of a man in a luxury villa, police discovered the bodies of the couple in a second villa, the police statement says.

A fourth American, a woman, was airlifted to hospital in Nassau, according to Exuma MP and Minister of Tourism Chester Cooper.

A police statement read: “Our initial investigations revealed that the couple found in the second villa complained of illness the previous evening. They attended the local medical facility and on completion of receiving treatment, they returned to their lodging.

“The coroner was appraised of the facts surrounding both scenes. The police will await an autopsy report to determine the exact cause of death.”

The cause of the deaths has not been confirmed but a guest at the hotel suspected an air conditioning fault had caused a “toxic coolant leak”.

Some guests had been treated at a clinic for nausea and vomiting the day before the deaths, health minister Dr Michael Darville said.

One of the victims was named as Vincent Chiarella, from Birmingham, Alabama, who had been celebrating an anniversary with his wife Donnis.

Their son Austin told ABC News he had been contacted by the US Embassy and he was able to speak with his mother, who was airlifted to a hospital in Florida.

The resort is all inclusive and sits in a secluded area within 500 acres of tropical land. It has a mile-long beach, three pools, 11 restaurants and an award-winning golf course.

Guests are free to take part in day and night tennis, beach volleyball and basketball, paddle boarding, snorkelling, and even offer free weddings to people staying for three nights or longer.