Wilma tourists taken to hospital

Diabetic Arthur Johnson was taken to hospital with malnutrition

A diabetic man and his wife who survived Hurricane Wilma were taken to hospital suffering from malnutrition and dehydration, their family claim.

Arthur and Margaret Johnson's family claim Rochdale-based MyTravel did not take appropriate care, despite knowing about Mr Johnson's diabetes.

Melanie Arcangelo, of Rossendale, Lancashire, said both her parents were taken to hospital on Thursday evening.

A MyTravel spokeswoman said a number of customers were in a "similar position".

Ms Arcangelo said her parents had phoned on Monday to say they had been evacuated from their hotel in the resort of Cancun to a shelter.

My mother has been giving my father her share of food to keep him going without insulin and it appears that other people in the shelter have done the same Melanie Arcangelo, daughter

The family told tour company officials about their father's medical condition on Tuesday, who assured them a doctor and company representative would be sent to see them.

But her father told her he was not seen by a doctor until Thursday evening, after they had been flown out of the Mexican resort of Cancun into the Dominican Republic.

"It beggars belief, I can't believe a company of that size don't know what's going on in their resort," she said.

"My mother has been giving my father her share of food to keep him going without insulin and it appears that other people in the shelter have done the same.

"Now they've been taken to hospital by emergency ambulance."

A number of passengers are in a similar position to Mr and Mrs Johnson, suffering from stomach cramps and diarrhoea. MyTravel spokeswoman

Her sister, Lisa Shasby, said: "I'm frantic. My mother is quite ill and she didn't know what day it was.

"My father said he had tried to get some food in their hotel in the Dominican Republic, but the food area was shut.

"He has only been eating crisps they had with them."

A spokeswoman for MyTravel said passengers had been taken to the Dominican Republic in order to get connecting flights back to the UK.

Once there they were offered a free examination by a doctor.

Arthur and Margaret Johnson were sent to a shelter when Wilma struck

She added: "A number of passengers are in a similar position to Mr and Mrs Johnson, suffering from stomach cramps and diarrhoea.

"It is a bug that they have picked up in the shelter.

"Anyone requesting help was given access to a free doctor.

"We are trying to do our best for all our customers to make sure they are fine."

The Foreign Office said efforts were being made in Mexico to ensure that there were enough medical supplies to go around following the hurricane.

"We have set up numbers for people to ring if they haven't heard from family members," a spokeswoman added.

"There are British officials and tour company officials out there and if someone needed medicine they would be given priority."