Two hotel workers injured in explosion at Bahia

An explosion at a restaurant at the Bahia Principe Hotel in Runaway Bay, St Ann, early Wednesday morning left two workers with minor injuries and damage to sections of the property.

The hotel said the incident happened at around 4:45 a.m. at one of the hotel’s 10 restaurants during cleaning and preparation.

“Two team members received injuries, which were treated, and they were sent home. Sections of (the) physical facilities were damaged. The fire brigade was also on site to support and process the scene,” the hotel said in a statement.

The restaurant affected will reopen today, a spokesperson from the hotel confirmed with The Gleaner, citing the minor damage caused.

He said the company has launched an investigation into the incident.

Operations at both the Bahia Principe Grand Jamaica, which boasts 850 rooms, and the Luxury Bahia Principe Runaway Resort, with 525 rooms, which are located on the same property, continue in full.

In 2020, the Bahia Principe played a pivotal role in Jamaica’s efforts at combatting the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, offering several rooms at the property for use to process returning Jamaicans and as a quarantine site.