RIU expresses condolences after tourist dies in Saona Island incident
A foreign tourist identified as Moira Clayton Finney died in a suspected drowning on a beach on Saona Island, according to preliminary reports released Tuesday. Authorities have not yet disclosed details about the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Available information indicates that Finney was staying at the Riu Palace Hotel in Punta Cana and was alone when the incident occurred.
Following news of the death, RIU Hotels & Resorts expressed its condolences to Finney’s family and said it had made itself available to the authorities handling the case.
The hotel company emphasized that the incident occurred outside RIU’s facilities, services and operational areas and was not related to its hotel operations. RIU also said it regretted any attempt to associate the incident with circumstances unrelated to the chain’s activities.
The company reaffirmed its confidence in Punta Cana as a world-class tourism destination, highlighting its standards of quality, hospitality and safety and its long-standing presence in the Dominican Republic.
RIU said it remains committed to the well-being of its guests and will continue cooperating with authorities by providing any assistance required as the investigation proceeds.
It was one of the saddest phone calls to get! She is my cousin, one of the funniest girls you could meet! I will miss her terribly 🥹🥹🥹🥹
She is my friend and im so sad to hear this! We had some good times. Rip Moira
I have heard NOTHING FROM THE RIU THIS IS FROM HER SISTER!!!
Hi im so very sorry Martha!! Im devastated to hear this! Let me know if you need anything. Big hugs!!!!!
Still NOTHING!!!
No disrespect, but the tour she was on has nothing to do with the resort. They do not have any involvement in that. Those tours are booked though associated companies. Condolences.
Cannot wait to let ALL KNOW HOW TO NEVER VISIT THE DR and especially the RIU – you all are a disgrace and NO ONE even reached out to her family!!!!
Not one word!!!
Never go to this island or hotel!!!
Allowing people to die without telling their family
Again, I understand your frustration…very tough time. But what you are saying is similar to if I was staying at a Holiday Inn and died in a shopping mall away from the property, that it would be Holiday Inn who would be responsible for communications. Simply not the case. The parties involved in notifying others of a death are government officials and embassy staff…not businesses, especially when the death did not occur within their property or an activity they are involved in. In closing, my sincere condolences.
I’m not sure who you are “Me Sensible” but the RIU blatantly LIED – not one of my family members were ever contacted and STILL have not been contacted my anyone from the hotel PERIOD! I’m trying to get my sister’s belongings shipped back to me so explain that!?!
This is a complete LIE – no one from Hotel RIU has contacted ANYONE in the Finney family and in process of dealing with their corporate headquarters on why they would claim to do something they never did?
Following news of the death, RIU Hotels & Resorts expressed its condolences to Finney’s family and said it had made itself available to the authorities handling the case.
Again have not heard one word from RIU
Good evening.I am a Polish woman living in the UK. One week ago today, on Tuesday, we were on the same bus and the same day trip to Saona Island with your sister. She was very happy on the catamaran. I remembered her because she was smiling at us the whole time.We had 2 hours of free time on the island. The temperature there was much higher than in Punta Cana. Your sister sat on a sunbed under a palm tree for over an hour. When I was coming out of the water, she was going in, and she smiled at me.About 15 minutes later, other tourists started shouting for help and pulled your sister out of the water. The ladies who had previously been offering massages and a man who worked on the boat started performing CPR on your sister. Unfortunately, there was no medical assistance, no lifeguard, and not even a minimum of equipment on the island. They tried for 20 minutes, but it was to no avail.Please believe me, I think about your sister every day. I cannot come to terms with this, especially since I later read that a tourist from Colombia had drowned in the natural pool nearby just a few months earlier. Tourist safety does not really matter; only money counts. We bought this trip to Saona in the UK through TUI, but there are plenty of people walking around the hotels selling these trips as well.
Thank you for this detailed information !
This is very helpful. Albeit very sad to read.
Dan –
(victims brother)
Magdelena, Good evening, Magdalena,
Thank you very much for contacting us and for sharing what you witnessed. I am deeply sorry that you had to experience something so traumatic. Your description of Moira smiling and enjoying herself on the catamaran is comforting. I have known Moira for several years; she was my next-door neighbor and a dear friend.
If you feel comfortable, could you please answer any of the following questions?
Please do not worry if you cannot answer every question. Anything you remember—even a small detail—could help us understand what happened. If you have photographs, videos, booking documents, or witness information, I can provide an email address where you may send them.
Please preserve the original files on your telephone or camera, including their dates and times, and please do not edit them. They may be important later.
Thank you again for your kindness and for thinking about Moira. Knowing that she was happy, smiling, and enjoying the catamaran shortly before this tragedy means a great deal to everyone who cared about her.
Sincerely,
Joe
Dear Joe,Thank you for reaching out. I want to help as much as I can, so I have answered your questions below based on what I remember and what I witnessed.I have a video from the catamaran recorded while everyone was dancing. Moira is not the main focus, but if you look very closely at the background, you can see a brief snippet of her sitting there. I can forward this video to you if it helps.I booked my excursion through TUI in the UK, which acted as an intermediary. However, I do not know where Moira purchased her ticket. There were many local vendors walking along the beach selling identical excursions at a lower price, so she may have booked through one of them. We boarded the boat in Bayahíbe to travel to Saona Island, which was about a 2-hour catamaran ride. I clearly remember that the letters “PTS” were written on the catamaran and the other boats used during the excursion.3, 4 & 5. We were not asked to sign any waivers, rules, or regulations before the trip. Regarding safety, we did not receive any detailed briefings about emergency equipment, lifeguards, or medical supplies. The only instruction given by our tour guide, Ruben, was a brief warning not to swim too far out because other motorboats operate in that area. There was absolutely no medical equipment, such as a defibrillator, available on Saona Island, and I did not see any nurse.6 & 7. I did not personally see the moment Moira started drowning or getting into difficulty, so I cannot confirm how far from the shore she was at that exact time. It is hard to estimate exactly how long she was in the water, but I think it might have been around 15 to 20 minutes. I only realized something was wrong when several Black passengers from our tour bus started shouting for help. I saw them pulling her onto the beach. She was unconscious and had foam coming from her mouth.8 & 9. As mentioned, the tourists (passengers from our bus) were the ones who noticed her and pulled her from the water.10 & 11. No ambulance arrived because Saona Island is remote. Two local police officers who were already on the island came to the scene. CPR was performed by a man from one of the boats (I am not sure which one) and by local women who offer massages on the beach. They performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions. I could not bear to watch closely and had to look away, praying she would wake up. Tragically, Moira passed away right there on that beach. She was placed on a sun lounger, and her bag was set beside her. No medical transport took her away while we were there.12 & 13. I do not know the names of the people who performed CPR. I also do not have any contact information for the other tourists from our bus, as everyone was from different parts of the world. Afterward, our tour group was instructed to board a speedboat back to Bayahíbe and then take the bus back to the hotel. Our tour guide, Ruben, stayed behind on Saona Island with the police and Moira.Neither TUI nor the local operator proactively contacted us after the incident. The next day, we went to the TUI representative at our hotel to ask about the situation. She strictly confirmed that Moira had drowned and stated that we should let her know if we needed psychological support. It was a very formal, business-like conversation with no emotion. After everything that happened, I just wanted to go home.
Dear Magdalena,
Thank you so much for your detailed response and for taking the time to answer all my questions. The information you provided is extremely helpful, although it is heartbreaking to read.
Moira was so full of life and had everything to live for. It is terribly sad to know that this happened to her. I only wish the authorities, or excursion company had contacted her family directly and provided them with a complete explanation of what happened.
Yes, please send me the video from the catamaran. Even though Moira is only briefly visible in the background, I know her family would appreciate having it.
By the way, my last name is Mestas, and I am also on Facebook if it is easier to send the video to me there.
Thank you again for your kindness and willingness to help. I am very sorry that you also had to witness such a traumatic event.
Warm regards,
the water there is extremely shallow. My husband, my daughter, and I could walk quite far out from the shore, and the water would still only reach up to our waists.Second, there were absolutely no lifeguards on duty anywhere on that beach.
Thank you, Magdalena. Those are very important details. If the water remained only waist-deep quite far from shore, it makes what happened to Moira even more difficult to understand. The fact that there were no lifeguards anywhere on the beach is also extremely concerning, especially with so many tourists swimming there.
I will make sure her family knows exactly what you witnessed. Thank you again for helping us understand the circumstances surrounding Moira’s death.
This is the same hotel where the Indian girl went “missing”!!!
No, it isn’t – the Indian girl drowned while staying at the RIU Republica and also this, tragic as it is, wasn‘t the fault of the hotel.