Tourist dies in Dominican Republic luxury resort fire

Nearly 1,700 people were evacuated from the huge blaze at Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach in Bayahibe, a popular resort town on the Caribbean coast. Dominican Republic resort fire: Italian tourist dies in Bayahibe fire Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Drone shot of the a large dark cloud of smoke and flames over the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach. Tourist dies in Dominican Republic luxury resort fire Drone footage shows the extent of the fire at the resort on the Caribbean coast A huge fire at a luxury beach resort in the Dominican Republic killed one woman and forced nearly 1,700 guests to be evacuated on Friday. The woman was a 46-year-old Italian tourist, the DAEH emergency services said in a statement to local media. It added that three people were taken to medical facilities and six others were treated on site. Drone footage shows how widespread the fire was, with buildings spanning the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach in the town of Bayahibe on fire, and thick black smoke billowing into the air. The cause of the early-morning blaze is not yet known, but an initial investigation found the flames spread quickly due to wind conditions and the flammable thatched roofs on some buildings. The country's Emergency Operations Center (COE) said the fire had been brought under control and guests had been moved to other hotels. It added that tourist activities in the town and surrounding area were not affected. Italian news agency Ansa reported that the Italian ambassador to the Dominican Republic met the deceased woman's husband at the hospital. The embassy is helping around 285 Italian tourists who were staying at the resort or nearby, issuing emergency passports to those whose travel documents were destroyed in the fire and arranging flights home. Bayahibe, a popular resort town on the Caribbean coast, is known for its clear blue waters and sandy beaches. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, which franchises about 8,400 hotels around the world, said in a short statement to the BBC that while "hotel teams safely evacuated guests and staff," one guest died. "We send our thoughts to the family while we await autopsy results to determine the cause," it said. It said the hotel, which is independently owned and operated, is closed and will remain so until further notice. Aerial shot showing a large building on fire, and thick black smoke. The resort is on the beach and the water is vibrant blue. Christine Sauvé and Alain Noël died in their sleep the night of 25 December. Energy minister Joel Santos Echeverría says work was quickly underway to restore power to the Caribbean nation. Three reported dead in Jamaica as meteorologists warn of "life-threatening winds, flooding and storm surge".