British couple in Egypt ‘died of carbon monoxide poisoning’, inquest hears
A British couple who suddenly fell ill at a hotel in Egypt died from carbon monoxide poisoning, a pathologist has told an inquest.
But experts could not be sure of the source of the poisonous gas that killed John Cooper, 69, and his wife, Susan, 63, Blackburn coroner’s court heard on Wednesday.
The couple, from Burnley, Lancashire, died suddenly on 21 August 2018 after becoming ill while staying at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada.
A statement from Dominik Bibi, a German tourist, read at the inquest on Tuesday said there had been a bedbug infestation in the room next door to the Coopers.
It was then treated with the pesticide, referred to as Lambda, at lunchtime, with the Coopers falling ill in the early hours and dying the next day.
Prof Robert Chilcott told the hearing he detected the presence of carbon monoxide in blood samples from the bodies of the couple.
Home Office pathologist Dr Charles Wilson gave a cause of death for John Cooper as carbon monoxide toxicity and heart disease, and for Susan Cooper carbon monoxide toxicity.
Dr Wilson said: “What you have here is a situation whereby the trajectory of the Coopers’ deaths, the circumstances surrounding it, how that evolved is not compatible with natural disease.
“It is typical of something in the environment and carbon monoxide is a common environmental toxin. It shows lots of features I would expect to see in carbon monoxide poisoning.
“It’s exactly what I would expect to see in people poisoned by carbon monoxide.”
Dr Wilson added that someone with cardiovascular disease, like John Cooper, would find it more difficult to withstand carbon monoxide poisoning.
Prof Chilcott, a toxicology expert, told the hearing carbon monoxide was present in the blood samples from the bodies but he could not be certain of the levels.
He said the levels were sufficient to suggest “severe exposure” to carbon monoxide.
Prof Chilcott suggested in less developed countries the pesticide Lambda is sometimes diluted with another substance, dichloromethane, which causes the body to metabolise or ingest carbon monoxide.
He added: “I would say a 10-hour exposure duration, in theory, would be sufficient to cause carbon monoxide poisoning.”
John Cooper, a builder, and his wife, a cashier at a bureau de change, were found seriously ill in their room by their daughter Kelly Ormerod after they failed to emerge for breakfast.
Ormerod’s father was declared dead in the hotel room and her mother died in hospital hours later.
The hearing was adjourned until Friday.