03 Feb 2012
A British holiday company says a “scientific expert” was immediately sent to a Spanish hotel after a legionella outbreak was reported there.
Two elderly British men died after contracting Legionnaires’ disease while holidaying in Spain. Nine others were also treated in hospitals in both Spain and the UK after showing symptoms.
The Diamante Beach Hotel in Calpe, Spain, was evacuated after tests were conducted on water samples from the resort, following the deaths.
A spokesman for Saga, the UK based holiday company that caters for over 50s, said: “It was reported to us on Saturday January 14 that a customer who had stayed at the Diamante Beach Hotel in Spain was being treated for pneumonia caused by legionella.
“When that happened we immediately sent out a scientific expert to Spain and informed our guests there and offered to move them to a different hotel.
“We also contacted people who had stayed at the hotel in the previous month telling them to contact their doctor if they were experiencing flu-like symptoms.”
Copyright Press Association 2012