(WFLA/NBC News) – A mysterious sickness left dozens of Jimmy Buffett fans seriously ill during a trip to the Dominican Republic, according to reports.
The Central Oklahoma Parrothead Association was vacationing in Punta Cana in April, staying at the Hotel Riu Palace Macao when a number of them were sickened.
“When all was said and done, I lost 19 pounds,” one member told NBC News. “And I’m just grateful to be alive at this point.”
Another member, Dana Flowers, told KFOR that 47 of the 114 people on the trip developed symptoms and many of them couldn’t leave their rooms.
Flowers said they don’t know what caused the illness, but they all “drank at the swim-up pool bar or swam at the swim-up pool.”
The news comes after several other Americans were found dead at resorts in the country. The country’s tourism minister says the deaths were completely isolated incidents.
More than 6 million tourists visit the Dominican Republic each year.
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