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Families of Revere women who died in Belize hotel file wrongful death lawsuit against resort, Expedia
Wafae El-Arar, Kaoutar Naqqad, and Imane Mallah died of carbon monoxide poisoning while staying at a Belize hotel in February 2025.
The families of three Revere women who died of carbon monoxide poisoning last year while staying at a hotel in Belize have filed a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging a “catastrophic failure of safety systems.”
Wafae El-Arar, 26, Kaoutar Naqqad, 23, and Imane Mallah, 24, were discovered by staff at the Royal Kahal Beach Resort in San Pedro on Feb. 22, 2025.
“We are still trying to process the unimaginable,” their families said in a statement Tuesday. “Our daughters and sisters left for vacation and never came home. The disbelief has not faded, and neither has the pain.”
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Belizean authorities determined the women died of “acute pulmonary edema” — a buildup of fluid in the lungs — and initially suggested a possible drug overdose. However, the head of the Belize National Forensic Science Service later identified carbon monoxide poisoning as the underlying cause and said the women had no illicit drugs in their systems. Belize Police Commissioner Chester Williams further suggested a malfunctioning gas-powered water heater could be to blame.
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“This was not an unavoidable accident,” said Thomas Scolaro, an attorney for the women’s families. “It was the foreseeable result of decisions that put safety last and a bottom line first, and our legal system exists to hold those responsible to account.”
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To that end, the families filed a federal lawsuit in Boston Tuesday alleging that Royal Kahal didn’t investigate warnings from previous hotel guests who reported carbon monoxide exposure, and that the suite in question lacked a functional carbon monoxide detector.
“Because carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, the three women were unaware of the danger,” the lawsuit states. “They were overcome by the toxic gas and are believed to have died during the night, … having suffered excruciating conscious pain and no doubt realizing that they were dying.”
The families are seeking $100 million in damages. Their complaint names a multinational slate of defendants, including Royal Kahal and its owners and managers; the company that manufactured the water heater and the contractors who installed it; and Expedia, the travel website the three women used to book their vacation.
“This case will test whether companies that profit from American consumers can be held to account when preventable tragedies occur, or whether they can avoid responsibility by hiding behind borders and technicalities,” Scolaro said. He said his clients are “asking for a fair forum, a full examination of the facts, and accountability that reflects the value of the lives that were lost.”
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Royal Kahal, Expedia, and Navien — the water heater manufacturer — did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
According to the lawsuit, El-Arar, Naqqad, and Mallah used Expedia while planning their vacation to Belize in early 2025. After the women viewed an Expedia page for Royal Kahal, the travel website allegedly sent them “retargeting ads and solicitations” encouraging them to book their trip.
Other guests had reported high carbon monoxide levels and symptoms consistent with exposure, some of them detailing their experiences through Expedia reviews, the lawsuit states. The complaint further alleges that the Navien water heaters were not only defectively designed but improperly installed as hotel construction was “completed on a shoe-string budget by unqualified handymen.”
Royal Kahal ultimately removed the water heaters in question, replacing them with electric models, according to the complaint.
“Unfortunately, Royal Kahal’s actions came too late” to save the Revere women, the lawsuit adds.
Relatives of El-Arar, Naqqad, and Mallah described them as “vibrant, thoughtful young women whose lives were just beginning, and whose absence is felt every single day.”
By taking legal action, the families said they are honoring the trio and “standing up for them in the only way we can.”
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“We trusted that the places and companies inviting families to stay with them cared about safety as much as they cared about profit,” they added. “We now know that trust was misplaced. We are here because accountability matters, because it can prevent future tragedies, and because our daughters’ lives mattered.”
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