Family members of the three victims who died from carbon monoxide poisoning last year at a Belize resort have filed a wrongful death lawsuit. Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
SALEM, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The families of three women from Revere who died while on vacation last year in Belize have filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
According to the U.S. Embassy in Belize, the official cause of the deaths of Kaoutar Naqqad, Imane Mallah, and Wafae El Arar, all in their 20s, was from carbon monoxide poisoning, likely caused by a faulty instant water heater.
The three women were found unconscious in their room at the Royal Kahal Beach Resort last February.
An initial autopsy found the three women had a build-up of fluid in their lungs.
At an emotional press conference held Tuesday at the Law Office of Muggeo and Associates, family members remembered the victims. "They spent most of their time at my parents' house," sobbed Ikram Naqqad, older sister of Kaoutar. "They were always together, they were always happy."
The lawsuit is filed against several defendants, including the resort's Canadian owners, the U.S.-based water heater manufacturer Navien, and online travel platform Expedia. "Everyone's daughters are special, so this should not happen again to anybody else, and that's what we want to accomplish here," Naqquad said.
The attorneys representing the families of the victims said there are jurisdictional challenges in the case that have to be overcome, and their fight is just beginning.
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojas.bsky.social) reports.