Egypt couple’s room had ‘smell’

♦the granddaughter of the British couple who died at a hotel in Egypt was moved from their room at 1am after complaining of a “musty smell”, a coroner heard.

John and Susan Cooper, from Burnley, died suddenly on Aug 21 after becoming ill while staying at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel.

James Adeley, senior coroner for Blackburn with Darwen, told the hearing at Preston Coroner’s Court that on the evening of Aug 20, when the couple got to their room, “they

noticed an acetone-type smell was replaced by, what the granddaughter calls, a funny, musty smell”.

Dr Adeley said he had only a single document from the authorities in Egypt, stating E. coli as a cause of death and explaining the strange smell in the room as a leak of pesticides from the adjacent, fumigated room.

He said he had no reports detailing toxicology, microbiology, police or public health investigations.

The inquests were opened and adjourned until a later date.