Toxic chemical or ‘biological agent’ may have killed Brit couple in Red Sea hotel – but Egypt STILL hasn’t handed over medical reports after six months
TOXIC chemicals or a “biological agent” may have killed a British couple holidaying at a Red Sea hotel.
A coroners court heard John Cooper, 69, and his wife, Susan, 63, died suddenly on August 21, last year.
They were staying at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in the Egyptian resort of Hurghada.
The pre-inquest hearing at Preston Coroner’s Court today heard the British authorities still has not received all the necessary medical and other reports from the Egyptian authorities to definitively establish the cause of death.
But part of an expert report from Dr Nick Gent, a senior medical adviser at Public Health England, suggested neither radiation, natural causes, carbon monoxide poisoning nor food poisoning caused the couple’s deaths.
He believes the cause of death is likely to be exposure to “infectious biological agent or toxic chemicals”.
Despite 13 requests, over six months, including from the UK Ambassador to Egypt for the evidence, the right reports have still not been sent to the UK.
Tearful Kelly Ormerod, the couple’s daughter, who was on holiday with them and her own daughter at the time, criticised the “lack of co-operation” by the Egyptian authorities.
Speaking outside Preston Coroner’s Court, she said: “From the tragic incident of both my parents dying to today, no compassion or humanity has been shown.
“The lack of assistance is immoral.
“To be on holiday where happy memories are meant to be made and cherished, tragedy struck our family.
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“Our whole world came crashing down, right in front of my very eyes. This should have never happened and no one should experience the pain and sorry we are all going through at this moment.”
Neither of the couple were known to have any serious medical conditions before they left the UK for the holiday on August 13.
They were staying in one room with their 12-year-old granddaughter, Molly, while Kelly stayed in another room with her two other children.
On the evening of August 20 the couple ate at the hotel buffet, when they went back to room 5107, they noticed an acetone type smell.
Molly said the smell made her feel unwell and went to her mother’s room to sleep.
At around 11am the next day, Kelly went to the room to check on her parents. When her dad answered the door she became “very concerned” and called in doctors.
Mr Cooper collapsed and died in the room, and his wife died in an ambulance on the way to hospital.
Investigations carried out by the authorities in Egypt reported the cause of deaths as being linked to E.coli bacteria.
Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Blackburn with Darwen, asked lawyers representing the hotel and Thomas Cook for a raft of documents to do with his investigation into the deaths ahead of a full inquest.
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The court also heard a German tourist, believed to have been in the room next door, checked in and immediately checked out of his room.
Hotel records showed house-keeping had been called to the Coopers’ room at least three times on the day before the couple died, and that the next door room had been fumigated.
The coroner also asked for the hotel air-conditioning maintenance logs, as there were discrepancies in the records he had received.
A further pre-inquest hearing will be held later this year.
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