Close to 50 students taking part in the Leeward Islands Debating Competition took ill during the debate at Sonesta Maho Beach Hotel and Casino on Friday evening. Close to 9:00pm, while the competition was ongoing, several students started vomiting and experienced stomach pain.
The ambulance was called to transfer some of the students, but due to the number of students seeking medical attention, the ambulance advised the students to find their way to St. Maarten Medical Center as soon as possible. One teacher in charge of the Anguilla debating team told The Daily Herald at the hospital that the students had contracted a virus after eating at one of the restaurants at the resort. Some students were held overnight for observation and some were sent back to the hotel to recover. The Emergency Room was packed full of students and at one point some students had to wait outside while in pain. (Andrew Dick photo)
