Jimmy Buffett Fans Add to Illness Toll at Hotels

The known toll of tourists who have fallen ill at Dominican Republic hotels, some fatally, grew considerably when members of a Jimmy Buffett fan group said they were struck while staying at a beach resort in April. The Central Oklahoma Parrothead Association group was staying at the Hotel Riu Palace Macao in Punta Cana, USA Today reports. Dana Flowers, a member of the group and a travel agent, told KFOR that 47 of its 114 travelers fell ill a few days into their stay.

Many of the ill tourists were unable to leave their rooms. Flowers lost 14 pounds. "I can't even explain how sick I was," he said. The symptoms included "crippling diarrhea," fever, dizziness, and headaches. Two months later, Flowers tells People, some members of the group still don't feel back to normal. (More Dominican Republic stories.)