A third British national has died from Legionnaires' disease while vacationing in Spain and 14 other people are being treated for the disease, AP cited the Valencia regional government as saying on Friday. A government statement said the three, aged between 73 and 78, had contracted the disease at a hotel in the eastern town of Calpe. The statement said a further 10 Britons and four Spaniards were being treated for the disease. The U.K.-based company Saga Holidays reported the first two deaths Thursday, saying the Britons had stayed at the Diamante Beach Hotel in Calpe. The names of the three victims were not released. The Valencia government said authorities have taken measures to control the outbreak, including closing the hotel. Legionnaires' disease is named for an outbreak at an American Legion convention in 1976 where 34 people died. It is caused by a bacterium most often found in sources of standing water and can be contracted by breathing air contaminated by the bacterium. The elderly and people with weak immune systems or lung problems are most susceptible. -- SPA
