Sunseekers who stayed at the same hotel where three American women were found dead in suspicious circumstances last month believe they suffered carbon monoxide poisoning at the luxury beachfront resort within days of the tragedy, DailyMail.com can reveal.
Kaoutar Naqqad, 23, Imane Mallah, 24, and Wafae El Arar, 26, were found dead in their room by staff at the Royal Kahal Beach Resort in San Pedro on February 22, having each suffered ‘acute pulmonary edema’, a buildup of fluid in the lungs.
What caused the fatal condition has yet to be determined; local police quickly suggested the women may have suffered a drug overdose, but their outraged families insisted otherwise and urged officials to conduct a full, thorough, and transparent investigation.
Following the news closely was a woman DailyMail.com is referring to under the pseudonym Jane, who, along with a group of her friends, had booked a $1300-per-person week-long stay at the Royal Kahal beginning March 1.
On February 25, a concerned Jane reached out to the hotel on Facebook asking, ‘Is it safe to come?’ messages shared with DailyMail.com show.
In response, a representative identified as ‘Daniel’ assured her there ‘are no safety issues’ at the Royal Kahal and the ‘sad incident’ involving Naqqad, Mallah, and El Arar was out of their control.
‘While we are still waiting on the authorities to formally release their findings, all signs indicate that this was a drug overdose,’ wrote Daniel.
‘As unfortunate as these circumstances are, there is nothing the hotel could’ve done to prevent these deaths.’
Jane’s concerns were quickly assuaged by the hotel’s explanation, so she and her friends decided to proceed with their booking.
But Jane said that five days into the trip, she awoke in the morning and her left leg was completely numb. She said she was also experiencing dizziness, blurred vision, and a headache.
Three women were found dead in the above hotel room at the Royal Kahal Beach Resort in San Pedro on February 22. DailyMail.com’s source ‘Jane’ arrived just over a week later
The victims: Kaoutar Naqqad, 23, Imane Mallah, 24, and Wafae El Arar, 26. A source close to one of their families says preliminary autopsy results show signs of carbon monoxide poisoningÂ
Excepts from a text exchange between Jane and a representative of Royal Kahal show the hotel assuring Jane’s safety, insisting the women’s deaths were caused by a drug overdose
When she attempted to get up to go to the restroom, Jane said she collapsed to the ground.
‘I laid on the ground for, I’d say, at least 30 to 40 minutes because I could not pull myself up, I just had no strength in my body, it was the weirdest thing,’ shared Jane.
‘I’ve never experienced anything like that in my life. I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from.’
Jane eventually gathered the strength to get up. She spent the next three hours seated in a chair by an open window before she was finally able to walk uninhibited again.
Five days after returning home to California, Jane says she is still struggling with headaches, a cough, brain-fog, and blurred vision.
Jane said that one of her friends on the trip has also been suffering from recurring migraines, she said.
All of the symptoms described by Jane are textbook side effects of carbon monoxide poisoning.
It was only after reading a report by DailyMail.com earlier this week about Naqqad, Mallah, and El Arar’s deaths possibly being caused by carbon monoxide poisoning that Jane connected the dots.
‘It all started to make perfect sense because I was completely out of it, and I did not feel right,’ she said.
‘Every morning after that, I felt like I was in a fog. And I still don’t feel right now, everything feels off.’
Jane is seeking medical treatment and plans to reach out to Royal Kahal and the U.S. Embassy to report her story.
One of Jane’s friends on the trip was told by embassy officials that initial tests found some rooms at the hotel contained ‘high levels of carbon monoxide.’
Royal Kahal and the U.S. Embassy have not returned requests for comment.
A recent review on Royal Kahal’s Trip Advisor page, dated March 1, complains of ‘critical safety concerns’ during a visit to the resort in February.
‘I had a wonderful stay at Royal Kahal Beach Resort from February 17th-21st. The staff was exceptional – [the] front desk, maintenance, housekeeping, bartenders, and beach staff went above and beyond. The beauty of San Pedro, Belize, and the warmth of its people made this trip unforgettable,’ wrote user Naquana H.
‘However, I cannot, in good faith, rate the hotel highly due to serious safety concerns. On February 18th, our carbon monoxide detector went off with levels above 400.
‘Despite informing the front desk, the staff seemed unfamiliar with the issue. Maintenance suggested turning off the gas, but the CO levels remained dangerously high. We were left feeling uneasy. The next morning, a friend reported dizziness, which we now suspect was from CO exposure.
‘While the hotel is beautiful, the lack of CO detectors is concerning. I urge management to address this for the safety of future guests.’
The women’s families paid tribute to each of them in a heartfelt statement on MondayÂ
A review posted on Trip Advisor just over a week ago complained of carbon monoxide exposure and ‘critical’ safety concerns at Royal Kahal
Though it remains to be seen whether Naqqad, Mallah, and El Arar’s deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, Jane said she’s furious the hotel lured her into a potentially dangerous situation with false promises of guaranteed safety.
She said her heart breaks for the women’s families and feels remarkably lucky to have avoided any serious harm herself.
‘They told us everything was safe, and we believed them. We had no reason not to,’ said Jane.
‘And I can’t get the girls and their families off my mind. It’s heartbreaking. But it’s also frightening knowing the same thing could’ve happened to us.
‘Who knows what would’ve happened if I was left to sleep in my room for another few hours, or if when I fell on the ground I couldn’t get up and nobody came to check on me.
‘It’s just so sad those girls weren’t afforded the same luck.’
Jane said she realized all was not well at Royal Kahal almost immediately after she and her friends arrived.
Though she says the staff were incredibly welcoming and the property was serene, there were signs plastered all over saying the hotel would be conducting smoke detector tests the following day between 9 am and 3 pm.
‘Then all the weird stuff started happening,’ said Jane.
The next morning at 9 am, Jane said maids let themselves into her room and asked her if she was ready for house cleaning after she’d just emerged from the shower.
Though she thought it odd at the time, what really stands out to Jane now is the fact that Naqqad, Mallah, and El Arar had been dead for more than a day before hotel staff raised the alarm.
‘They were in our rooms every single morning,’ Jane said. ‘So I don’t know if they changed their policy after [the three women died] or if they knew more Americans were coming to make sure nobody else got sick – I don’t know.
‘I just found that really odd.’
Jane left the hotel that morning and didn’t hear any alarm tests being carried out before she left.
When she returned, she found a worker with a ladder inside who was removing all of the smoke detectors from her room and her friend’s rooms.
The worker left the smoke detectors on the counter. One of Jane’s friends called the front desk to ask whether they should reinstall them but were told ‘no’ and instructed to leave them on the counter where they remained for the rest of their stay.
Then, on Wednesday March 5th and for the majority of the 6th, the gas and hot water were switched off. The gas was cut off for a second time on March 8th.
Jane claims they were offered no explanation for the inconvenience.
‘I just find it incredibly odd that it was switched off twice when we were there,’ she said.
It was a text message from the U.S. Embassy on March 7th, the last night of their trip, that really unnerved Jane and her friends.
She said the text message urged them to call ‘ASAP.’
A male friend of Jane’s called and was told that it was in ‘their best interest to leave the hotel and find somewhere else to stay for the night.’
The Embassy official didn’t elaborate any further, according to Jane.
Jane and her group returned to the hotel to find several individuals wearing suits standing in the lobby of the hotel.
One of the individuals, who Jane believes was Royal Kahal’s general manager, informed them the hotel would be shutting down for the week – but they had the option to stay for their final night if they felt safe to do so.
Fresh off a sunset cruise and with nowhere else to go at such short notice, Jane and her friends reluctantly stayed and flew back to the U.S. the next day.
One of Jane’s friends called the U.S. Embassy after returning home and was allegedly informed that several of the hotel’s rooms were found to contain high levels of carbon monoxide.
‘This is so frightening because, I mean, this is happening within days of three people dying,’ said Jane.
‘When that happened, they should have closed the hotel immediately. We never should’ve been allowed to stay there, and they shouldn’t have been allowed to stay open.
‘They fed us all this bulls**t about it being safe, but they didn’t even know themselves.
‘I want to make sure that hotel never opens its doors again.’
A second autopsy is currently being carried out on each of the women back in the U.S.Â
The Royal Kahal Beach Resort is a luxury hotel on Ambergris Caye, located in San Pedro, Belize (file photo)
Naqqad, Mallah, and El Arar’s remains were transported back to the U.S. earlier this month, where a second autopsy is being conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in their home state of Massachusetts.
The examinations are not expected to be completed for another month. However, a source close to one of the girls’ families told DailyMail.com earlier this week that a preliminary report indicated signs of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The source further stated that investigators have discovered other non-fatal incidents of carbon monoxide poisoning at the Royal Kahal and have made contact with at least one other American victim.
The Royal Kahal, Belize Commissioner Williams, and Belize Fire Chief Colin Gillett have all been contacted for comment.
Gillett previously told Belizean media that carbon monoxide poisoning had been ruled out following an investigation.
A spokesperson representing the families of Naqqad, Mallah, and El Arar declined to comment, sharing only that the bereaved were eagerly awaiting the results of the state Medical Examiner’s second autopsy.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Massachusetts confirmed they have custody of the women’s remains but declined to share further details, with a spokesperson saying only that the ’cause and manner of death for the descendents remains pending.’Â
On Monday, the women’s families shared their first public statements about their deaths, calling them mysterious and suspicious.
‘It is with unimaginable pain and heartbreak that we share the devastating news of the passing of Kaoutar Naqqad, Imane Mallah, Wafae El Arar, each a beloved light in the world lost too soon,’ began the statement.
‘Our families and all who loved these women are shattered, struggling to comprehend this profound and sudden loss.’
An individual tribute was then paid to each of the victims.
Mallah was remembered as a ‘beacon of kindness’ who ‘embraced life wholeheartedly’; Naqqad was the light of her family’s life ‘whose kindness and warmth touched everyone she met’; and El Arar was ‘honest, kind, and deeply devoted to the people she loved’.
Their families added: ‘The circumstances surrounding this tragedy remain unclear and suspicious, and we are seeking answers to understand what happened in Belize.
‘We urge the authorities in Belize and in the United States to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation so that we may find the truth and justice for Kaoutar, Imane and Wafae.’
‘Our families are grateful for the outpouring of love and support we have received during this heartbreaking time. We ask for continued prayers, patience, and privacy as we navigate this profound sorrow.
‘May their beautiful souls rest in eternal peace. We will forever love and miss you, Kaoutar, Imane, and Wafae.’
El Arar (above) was remembered as ‘honest, kind, and deeply devoted to the people she loved’
Naqqad, 23, (left) had aspitations to become a police officer. Imane Mallah, 24, (right) was remembered as her family’s ‘greatest love’Â
A travel advisory has been issued for the tropical country of Belize following reports of violent crime (Pictured: File photo of Belize)Â
