Families of 3 Massachusetts Women Who Died at Belize Resort File $100M Lawsuit

Lawsuit alleges resort failed to address carbon monoxide warnings, leading to tragic deaths.

Feb. 3, 2026 at 6:47pm

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The families of three Massachusetts women who died from carbon monoxide poisoning at a Belize resort have filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit against the hotel and travel site Expedia. The women, Wafae El-Arar, Kaoutar Naqqad, and Imane Mallah, were found dead in their suite in February 2025 due to fatal carbon monoxide exposure. The lawsuit alleges the resort failed to investigate previous guest warnings about high carbon monoxide levels and did not have a functioning detector in the women's room.

Why it matters

This tragic incident highlights the importance of hotel safety standards and the responsibility of travel companies to ensure the wellbeing of their customers. The lawsuit seeks accountability and aims to prevent future similar tragedies.

The details

The lawsuit alleges the Royal Kahal Beach Resort in San Pedro, Belize failed to address warnings from previous guests about carbon monoxide exposure, and that the suite where the women stayed lacked a functional carbon monoxide detector. It also claims the resort's water heaters were defectively designed and improperly installed by unqualified workers due to cost-cutting measures during construction.

  • The three women, Wafae El-Arar, Kaoutar Naqqad, and Imane Mallah, were found dead on February 22, 2025.
  • The wrongful death lawsuit was filed in Boston on Tuesday, February 3, 2026.

The players

Royal Kahal Beach Resort

The hotel in San Pedro, Belize where the three women died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Expedia

The travel booking website used by the women to plan their vacation to Belize.

Thomas Scolaro

The attorney representing the families of the three women in the $100 million lawsuit.

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What’s next

The judge will decide on whether to allow the $100 million lawsuit to proceed.

The takeaway

This tragic incident underscores the need for rigorous hotel safety standards and travel companies to prioritize customer wellbeing over profits. The lawsuit seeks to hold the resort and Expedia accountable and prevent similar tragedies in the future.