A luxury vacation turned into a nightmare on Friday for a Florida couple celebrating their anniversary, and other guests in the Bahamas at a posh Sandals resort.
Vincent Chiarella, 64, died Friday morning at Sandals Emerald Bay in Exuma. Staff at the hotel discovered Mr. Chiarella unresponsive at his villa and notified police. When police arrived, they were notified that a couple in another villa at the resort had also fallen ill. They died soon after.
Mrs. Donnis Chiarella woke up that morning paralyzed. Her husband was unresponsive. There was no sign of trauma, according to police.
The names of the other couple that died have not yet been revealed. All of the victims experienced convulsions. The guests had been to a health clinic the night before their tragic deaths.
According to her son, Steve Mulder, Mrs. Chiarella woke up and found her legs and arms swollen. She had become ill the day before and sought treatment at a local clinic, but was discharged. She has been flown back to Florida for further medical observation and treatment. She is in intensive care in Miami.
Mr. Mulder said there will be an autopsy on his father and the results will be known soon.
Environmental health specialists and medical professionals are investigating at the scene to rule out a danger to the public.
The Acting Prime Minister, Chester Cooper, stated that foul play is not suspected.
There is some speculation that there was a problem with the air-conditioning because it was observed that workers were trying to fix it.
The US State Department is following the Bahamas police investigation, as answers are desperately sought to find out why the Americans died and whether there is a danger to other guests.