Some stories never leave you. They linger quietly in a community’s heart, long after the headlines fade. The tragic loss of three young women while vacationing at the Royal Kahal Beach Resort, San Pedro last year is one of those stories.
Wafae El Arar, Imane Mallah, and Kaoutar Naqqad arrived on Ambergris Caye like so many others do, full of excitement, laughter, and plans to enjoy time together in a place known for warmth, beauty, and hospitality. What should have been a joyful getaway ended in heartbreak. Their lives were cut short, far away from home, in a way no family could ever imagine.
When the news first broke, disbelief spread quickly across San Pedro. Locals who pride themselves on welcoming visitors as family struggled to understand how something so devastating could happen here. Many residents followed the updates closely, hoping for clarity, answers, and above all, truth. As details emerged, grief deepened, not just for the young women, but for their families who were left to process unimaginable loss from thousands of miles away.
This week, the families announced legal action against the Royal Kahal Beach Resort where the tragedy occurred, a step they say is not about anger, but about accountability and prevention. Their voices, filled with pain and resolve, spoke not only of loss but of love, love strong enough to demand answers so that no other family has to endure the same devastation.
Royal Kahal Responsible for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Official toxicology findings from authorities in the US confirmed carbon monoxide poisoning as the sole cause of death, something that local authorities had already ruled out after two separate tests. The lawsuit alleges the resort and associated companies prioritized profit over safety. It targets the resorts’ developers, contractors, and the online travel platform Expedia.
“This case will test whether companies that profit from American consumers can be held to account when preventable tragedies occur,” stated Attorney Tom Scolaro, representing the families, “or whether they can avoid all responsibility by hiding behind borders and technicalities.”
Here in San Pedro, this tragedy has never been viewed as “someone else’s problem.” It shook the entire community. Conversations unfolded in homes, businesses, and along the shoreline. People asked hard questions about safety, responsibility, and how a destination built on trust must protect every life within it. There was collective sorrow, and there remains a collective hope that lessons will be learned.
For the families, the legal process represents a path toward closure, a way to honor their daughters by standing up for safety and transparency. Justice, in this sense, is not about punishment alone. It is about ensuring that what happened is acknowledged fully and that changes follow, so future visitors are protected.
As a community, San Pedro extends its deepest compassion to the families who continue to grieve. No words can lessen their pain, and no legal outcome can restore what was lost. But there is solidarity here. There is empathy. And there is a shared wish that through accountability and truth, the families may find some measure of peace.
Ambergris Caye is a place where memories are meant to be beautiful. The hope, for everyone, is that from this tragedy comes meaningful change, so that no vacation, no visit, and no life is ever again overshadowed by preventable loss.
