What was planned as a vacation celebrating a shared appreciation of Jimmy Buffett’s music turned into a calamity for dozens in the group who reported serious illnesses and unexplained symptoms.
According to the New York Post, more than a hundred associates of the Central Oklahoma Parrothead Association arranged to take part in the April outing to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. The group reportedly stayed at the Hotel Riu Palace Macao.
As CrimeOnline has previously reported, the Dominican Republic has been linked to multiple reported cases of illnesses and deaths, including several Americans.
In total, one traveler said 47 individuals — including himself — suffered from severe maladies.
“I can’t even explain how sick I was,” Dana Flowers said, as reported by KFOR. He added that he lost “14 pounds during that time.”
He said local doctors said a parasite could be the cause, noting that all those who became sick used a swim-up bar at the hotel’s pool. Though some of the travelers in his group reportedly tested positive for salmonella, Flowers said he was not among them.
Whatever the cause of the widespread sickness, Flowers made it clear that he “will not be going back to the Dominican any time soon.”
[Featured image: Dana Flowers, video screenshot]
