By Aicha El Hammar Castano and Chris Looft
At least one tourist is dead after a massive fire broke out at a resort in the Dominican Republic on Friday, officials said.
Fifteen firefighting units were battling the blaze at the Viva Dominicus Beach resort in La Altagracia province, the Dominican Republic Foreign Ministry told ABC News.
A 46-year-old female tourist from Italy died in the fire, the ministry said. The total number of injuries remains unclear.
Dramatic images and video show thick smoke rising above the resort, which has nearly 700 rooms.
Nearly 1,700 guests evacuated the resort, relocating to nearby hotels, according to the island’s emergency operation center.
Pablito Bayahibe / Facebook
The property, which is situated between Punta Cana and Santo Domingo, is operated in partnership with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
Wyndham said in a statement Saturday the fire was contained by the island’s emergency officials in conjunction with various regional fire departments. The hotel will remain closed.
“Hotel teams safely evacuated guests and staff,” the hotel company said. “However, we are saddened that one guest perished, and we send our thoughts to the family while we await autopsy results to determine the cause. At this time the hotel, which is independently owned and operated, is closed and will remain so until further notice.”
The cause of the fire is unknown at this time, investigators said.
-ABC News’ Alex Presha contributed to this report.
Source: abcnews.com