Hotel death probe ‘being obstructed by Egypt off icials’
THE Egyptian authorities were last night accused of hampering the efforts of British officials investigating the sudden deaths of two holidaymakers.
Sources close to the inquiry into the deaths of John and Susan Cooper said Thomas Cook’s team had been obstructed by staff desperate to protect the country’s tourism industry.
One holidaymaker claimed that staff from the company who flew out to Egypt were interrogated by airport workers demanding to know why they were there, while hotel staff were also said to have been hostile.
The allegations came as Egyptian officials sought to draw a line under the mysterious deaths by claiming they were ‘normal’. But in recent days there have been fears the couple were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning, severe food poisoning or legionnaire’s disease. Egypt’s tourism industry has slumped by as much as 30 per cent since the 2011 Arab Spring led to security threats and civil unrest in the country.
The Cooper family, from Burnley, Lancashire, were on a ten- day package holiday when Mr Cooper, 69, died in his room at the five-star Aqua Magic Hotel in Hurghada on Tuesday morning.
Mrs Cooper, 63, died six hours later after being taken to hospital by daughter Kelly Ormerod, 40.
There were fears the couple might have suffered carbon monoxide poisoning because of a faulty air-conditioning unit but Thomas Cook insisted there was ‘no evidence’ of this. A team from the company arrived on Wednesday and took samples from the hotel’s food, swimming pool, air-conditioning units and boilers.
One holidaymaker who spoke to a Thomas Cook health and safety officer said: ‘The Egyptian authorities were not happy at all about him being there. At the airport they asked him why he was investigating – he said they were acting like they didn’t want him there at all.
‘The Egyptian hotel staff were clearly very frosty about Thomas Cook officials snooping around. They weren’t at all helpful and didn’t want them finding anything that may be wrong with the place.’
One source close to the investigation said: ‘Thomas Cook are trying to get to the bottom of this but the Egyptians seem happy to brush it under the carpet.
‘I can understand why people want to protect Egypt’s reputation but this is a serious matter and needs to be investigated properly. After the deaths, they put out a statement saying they died of natural causes but it is far too early to say.’
One theory Thomas Cook is investigating is whether the pair died from a severe case of legionnaire’s disease – caused by airborne bacteria that can travel through air-conditioning vents.
But last night, the Egyptian public prosecutor claimed engineers who checked the deceased couple’s room concluded that ‘all equipment was sound and that there was no leakage or emission of any poisonous or harmful gases’.
Last night, it emerged 11 other Thomas Cook customers had reported feeling ill since the Coopers’ deaths.
Kelly Ormerod’s mother-in-law, Olive, believes the family should take legal action. Mrs Ormerod, from Hoghton, near Blackburn, Lancashire, said: ‘They have got to sue. They were a lovely couple. It is so very sad.’