Couple die within hours of each other at luxury hotel
Red Sea resort evacuated as precaution after other guests ‘fall ill’
Mystery last night surrounded the deaths of a British couple on a luxury holiday in egypt.
the hotel they were staying in was evacuated as part of an investigation after businessman John Cooper, 69, and 63-year-old wife susan died within hours of each other.
It is understood hundreds of guests are leaving the hotel.
the couple were on a thomas Cook holiday at a five-star hotel in the red sea resort of Hurghada with their daughter Kelly, 40.
Mrs Cooper worked for the holiday company based at a branch in her home town of Burnley. A thomas Cook spokesman said: ‘We are deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of two of our customers staying in the steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel.
‘the circumstances of their deaths are still unclear. We have also received further reports of a raised level of illness among guests. safety is always our first priority, so as a precautionary measure we have taken a decision to remove all our customers from this hotel.’
the tour operator said it would be offering customers alternative hotels within Hurghada and giving them the option to return home.’ the spokesman said of the hotel evacuation: ‘While we understand this is upsetting for those on holiday, we believe this is the right thing to do.
‘We continue to work closely with the hotel and are supporting the authorities with their investigations. the steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel was last audited by thomas Cook in late July 2018 and received an overall score of 96 per cent. ‘We will be contacting those customers due to travel to the hotel in the next four weeks to offer alternative holiday options.’ the listing for the hotel on the thomas Cook website now includes a line saying: ‘sorry, there is currently no availability.’ relatives of the couple were believed to have flown to egypt and were being supported by the holiday firm. Ingo Burmester, chief of thomas Cook UK, said: ‘We are deeply saddened by the deaths of two of our customers while on holiday, one of whom was a loyal and long-serving member of our thomas Cook family. Our focus is on fully supporting their loved ones.’
Ahmed Abdullah, governor of the red sea province, said Mrs Cooper died three hours after her husband on tuesday.
Pills found in their room ‘showed both suffered chronic illnesses’, he said. the thomas Cook branch in
‘A raised level of illness’
Burnley was shut yesterday. Mr Cooper ran a building company in the town. A colleague at a nearby thomas Cook said: ‘It is heartbreaking and tragic. Mrs Cooper had gone on a trip of a lifetime and sadly will never come back.’
A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘We are supporting the family of a British couple who died in Hurghada and we are in contact with the local tour operator.’
rooms at the luxury hotel, which has a private beach, cost around £200 a night.