- British couple Emma Plappert and Leigh Bailey said they became sick after staying at a Bahia Principe resort in the Dominican Republic in May, The Mirror reported Thursday.
- They believe their alcohol in their minibar may have been to blame, and want UK officials to test the bottles they brought back as souvenirs.
- The DR has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks following a spate of American deaths at island resorts. Four of the 10 deaths happened at Bahia Principe properties.
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A British couple said they became sick after staying at a Bahia Principe resort in the Dominican Republic in May – the same hotel chain where four Americans have died on the island in the past year.
Emma Plappert and Leigh Bailey told The Mirror that they believe alcohol from their minibar may be to blame, and that they want UK officials to test the bottles they brought back as souvenirs.
The couple from Southend, Essex, told the outlet they’ve been sick ever since they flew back to the UK on May 19. They said they’ve experienced crippling stomach pains, intense exhaustion, bloody diarrhea, and red lumps on their legs.
Sick couple want alcohol testing after trip to Caribbean island where nine died https://t.co/AGQZhCRKGt pic.twitter.com/oQZALy7eBK
— Daily Mirror (@DailyMirror) June 20, 2019
They told The Mirror they grew concerned when they heard about the recent spate of deaths of Americans at DR resorts, including four who stayed at Bahia Principe hotels. Two of those four died after making themselves drinks from their room's mini bar.
This shocked Plappert and Bailey, who alleged that the hotel bar's alcohol tasted "a bit chemically," but brought back their minibar bottles to give to friends as souvenirs, according to The Mirror. They took back the bottles, none of which had been opened, and now they want them tested.
"Maybe there's something deeper here. It's really crazy to hear that people had passed away," Plappert said.
Law enforcement sources told The New York Post last week that Dominican Republic police are investigating whether tourists who died while staying at all-inclusive resorts were poisoned by bootleg alcohol.
Part of the British couple's story echoes that of a Colorado couple, who said earlier this month they sued Bahia Principe after a strong smell in their room caused them to get sick and cut their trip short.
Plappert and Leigh also said they woke up in the middle of the night to a strong smell "like rancid eggs."
"I started to think of chemical gasses. I was really scared. After that I had the worst tummy ache of my life," she told The Mirror.
Had she known about all of the deadly incidents on the island lately, Plappert said she would not have picked the DR for her vacation.
"I'm really scared now, but we are the lucky ones," she told The Mirror. "We are ill yes, but others have died. We never would have gone there if we had seen this news beforehand."
Bahia Principe did not immediately respond to INSIDER's request for comment.
Read the full story at The Mirror »
- Read more:
- The State Department says there hasn't actually been an 'uptick' in US citizen deaths in the Dominican Republic
- Steve Harvey is hosting a festival at a Dominican Republic resort where at least 2 US tourists have died in the last year
- Dozens of Jimmy Buffett fans got sick during a Dominican Republic vacation, in the most recent concerning story to come out of the island
- The mysterious deaths in the Dominican Republic reportedly may be linked to illicit alcohol, and it wouldn't be the first time