A vacation in Panama turned fatal for a Greek couple after the woman died following a sudden illness, while her husband remains in critical condition, authorities and witnesses said.

The couple, from the Greek island of Kefalonia, was traveling with an organized group during the Christmas and New Year holiday period when the woman developed a persistent cough during the trip. A doctor was called to their hotel and advised her to take cough syrup, according to accounts shared by a fellow traveler.

The following day, the woman chose to stay behind at the hotel to rest while the rest of the group went on an экскурsion. When her husband returned, he found her with severe blisters covering her body and rushed her to a private hospital in Panama, where she was intubated.

Doctors initially treated her for influenza A, but her condition deteriorated rapidly. She died shortly afterward, plunging her family and fellow travelers into shock.

The tragedy deepened during the couple’s return journey, when the husband also developed serious symptoms, including a high fever and a sudden worsening of his condition. He is now hospitalized in Paris, where he remains intubated and in critical condition.

A woman who traveled with the couple described the sequence of events in a television interview, saying the woman initially complained of a headache before developing a severe coughing episode. Despite medical attention, her health declined dramatically within a short period.

The incident has left relatives and friends of the couple facing devastating news, as questions remain about the illness that claimed the woman’s life and left her husband fighting to survive.