A woman died at the City Express by Marriott hotel in Heredia on Saturday, November 15, after coming into contact with a highly toxic substance, according to information confirmed by the Red Cross. The identity, age, and nationality of the deceased woman have not been released.
Emergency services responded to a call at 4:46 p.m., but found that the woman showed no signs of life upon arrival. Preliminary reports indicated she may have been exposed to an insecticide, leading to fatal intoxication. She was declared dead in her hotel room.
The incident also affected eight other people. At 7:30 p.m., the Red Cross returned to the hotel following a new alert from firefighters regarding additional cases of intoxication. An hour later, it was confirmed that five out of the eight affected individuals were urgently transported to San Vicente de Paul Hospital in Heredia; their conditions were not considered serious at that time. Later statements from Luis Chaves, battalion chief for the Fire Department, clarified that all eight required medical attention and were transferred to healthcare facilities.
Chaves stated that emergency personnel managed the situation as a hazardous materials incident and had completed an evaluation of the hotel so it could continue operating safely for other guests. He emphasized that “the emergency is now under control.”
Attempts to obtain comments from hotel management were unsuccessful. A man identifying himself only as the accountant said he was not authorized to provide information about the incident. “I don’t know who told you that,” he said when asked about details already confirmed by emergency responders. He added, “We are not authorized nor will we give information.”
Authorities have not disclosed how exactly the intoxication occurred.
