By KHRISNA RUSSELL
Tribune Chief Reporter
krussell@tribunemedia.net
WHILE not revealing the cause of death of three American tourists at its Emerald Bay property earlier this month, Sandals has said the fatalities were not linked to the resort’s air conditioning system, food and beverage service, landscaping services or foul play.
In a statement yesterday, Sandals said it had taken additional measures to install CO detectors in all guest rooms at Emerald Bay and all guest rooms throughout the portfolio.
On Monday, The Tribune reported from a reliable source that carbon monoxide poisoning was found to be the cause of death of married couple Michael and Robbie Phillips of Tennessee and Vincent Paul Chiarella of Florida.
They were found dead in two separate villas at Sandals on May 6 after they were stricken by an unknown illness and sought medical help in the hours before their deaths.
Donnis Chiarella, wife of Paul, was the lone survivor.
“We remain devastated by the unimaginable event that occurred at Sandals Emerald Bay Resort earlier this month that resulted in the loss of three lives, including two members of our beloved travel advisor community, and the recovery of a fourth guest,” Sandals said in a statement yesterday. “We wish to once again extend our deepest sympathies and our heartfelt condolences to the Phillips and Chiarella families.
“Despite initial speculation, Bahamian authorities have concluded the cause was an isolated incident in one standalone structure that housed two individual guest rooms and was in no way linked to the resort’s air conditioning system, food and beverage service, landscaping services or foul play.”
The statement continued: “Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our guests and team members is and will always be paramount. It is for this reason that we have taken additional measures such as engaging environmental safety experts for a comprehensive review of all systems across the resort. In addition, CO detectors have now been placed in all guest rooms at Sandals Emerald Bay and although not mandated in any Caribbean destination where we operate, detectors will be installed in all guest rooms throughout the portfolio.
“Our entire team is keeping the families in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
Comments
tribanon 1 year, 10 months ago
LMAO
choodot43 1 year, 10 months ago
WELL, my wife and I have been to Grand Bahama at least 20 times. And I'm not sure while staying at Island Sea's resort where a carbon monoxide leak would be possible considering the windows, doors opened here and there. It seems that the CO culprit in this case has yet to be identified which would be for the best of the country. Widespread CO detectors are wonderful, but what caused this tragedy? This should not reflect on the country at all. Just tell the truth, fix it and move on the best that can be done. Our thoughts and prayers to those affected!
Alan1 1 year, 10 months ago
We need a clear and definitive statement from the Government about the actual cause of death of the visitors. The international publicity for our country has been very negative. It cannot be swept under the carpet in the hope that the matter will just go away. Where is the professionalism in the way this public relations disaster has been conducted?
Baha10 1 year, 10 months ago
The PR disaster continues … clearly neither Sandals nor our Government have engaged any form of Crisis Management resulting in much regrettably speculation of “cover up” threatening not just Sandals’ reputation as a “safe and responsible” Resort Group, but also our Country as a “safe and responsible” Tourist Destination.
Bottom line is these unfortunate Visitors died “on property” at an “all inclusive” Resort that should have been immediately “closed” by the Ministry of Health until “conclusive” Answers as to what occurred have been determined.
ThisIsOurs 1 year, 10 months ago
Noone will have comfort in a carbon monoxide poisoning diagnosis with an unknown source. Was any work being done on property in that area but nowhere else, did they take any common tours, did either couple have private fuel based devices running in their suite? These are easy enough to answer.
bahamianson 1 year, 10 months ago
Where did the CO come from that they now have to install CO detectors?
tribanon 1 year, 10 months ago
That's obviously top secret. It seems only a few U.S. government officials know what really happened but they are reluctant to share what they know with the Bahamian government. Humm, wonder why.
ThisIsOurs 1 year, 10 months ago
Having the detectors there is just good practice...
LastManStanding 1 year, 10 months ago
The real question here is why did they not have them installed in the first place?
95% of the buildings in this country would not pass inspection anywhere in the United States.
DDK 1 year, 10 months ago
Another source of poisoning is exposure to the organic solvent dichloromethane, also known as methylene chloride, found in some paint strippers,[96] as the metabolism of dichloromethane produces carbon monoxide.[97][98][59] In November 2019, an EPA ban on dichloromethane in paint strippers for consumer use took effect in the United States.[99]
Even though DCM is the least toxic of the simple chlorohydrocarbons, it has serious health risks. Its high volatility makes it an acute inhalation hazard.[24][25] It can also be absorbed through the skin.[3][26] Symptoms of acute overexposure to dichloromethane via inhalation include difficulty concentrating, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, headaches, numbness, weakness, and irritation of the upper respiratory tract and eyes. More severe consequences can include suffocation, loss of consciousness, coma, and death. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Baha10 1 year, 10 months ago
At the outset of this awful news, it would have been far fetched to wonder if Sandals could survive this unfortunate tragedy, as at the end of the day, accidents happen, including ones caused by negligence resulting in death, but after 3 weeks of no answers forthcoming or evasive statements “at best” … I am not so sure, as both trust and credibility are lost making the idea of the Brand’s signature vacation pitch based on “romance” hard to resurrect if a couple renewing their vows can end up both dead at an “all inclusive” Resort without timely explanation.
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