Senior trip to Dominican Republic descends into disaster after group falls ill

A group of Oklahoma teens’ senior trip to the Dominican Republic was ruined when they fell sick with a mysterious illness.

The recent Deer Creek High School graduates flew on June 8 to the embattled Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana, where at least two Americans have died and others have fallen ill, news station KOTV reported.

Liz McLaughlin said her daughter, Libby, was among seven members of the group who fell sick — and they have “no idea what’s going on.”

“We just don’t know what is happening,” McLaughlin told the news station. “Is it the water? Is it the ice? Is it the food? Is it the food handling? Is it the pesticides?”

For the first day, the teens enjoyed themselves hanging out on the beach. But after dining at the resort’s Japanese restaurant, the trip took a turn for the worse, according to KOCO.

“I just woke up, and my stomach was cramping and I was sweating,” Bennet Hill told KOCO. “I was freezing.”

Hill and the six others were rushed by ambulance to the hospital, where they received anti-nausea medicine.

“We’ve been hooked up to IVs since we first got here with antibiotics, just getting hydrated,” Hill said.

It’s unclear whether the group’s illnesses are linked to the fatal cases recently reported at the resort.

Robert Bell Wallace, 67, died from unknown causes during an April trip to the hotel. His family said he became unwell after drinking a glass of scotch from the minibar.

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Relatives of a Maryland tourist, David Harrison, recently revealed he died last July at the same resort. Before going to bed, Harrison reportedly fell ill and died the next day from pulmonary edema and heart attack.

A Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana spokesperson told The Post the resort “immediately took corrective action” after the group of students fell ill.

“Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana is disappointed regarding a recent situation in which a group of guests became ill after dining at one of our twelve venues,” the statement said. “As the safety and health of our guests is now, and has always been our highest priority, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana is regretful that we did not achieve the extremely high standards we set for ourselves.”