EGYPT HOTEL DEATHS ‘NOT GAS’

EGYPT’S top prosecutor has dismissed claims that the deaths of a British couple after staying at a resort hotel in Egypt was due to poisonous gas emissions in their room.

It comes after Kelly Ormerod, daughter of John and Susan Cooper, of Burnley, Lancashire, who died on Tuesday while staying at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada, said there was “something suspicious” behind the deaths. Mrs Ormerod had also been staying at the hotel with her three children.

A technical team inspection of the Coopers’ room showed there were no toxic or harmful gas emissions or leaks, according to a statement by prosecutor Nabil Sadeq yesterday. It also says his office is waiting for a forensic analysis from the bodies.

Tour operator Thomas Cook, which decided to remove all its customers from the hotel as a “precautionary measure”, says the cause of death “remains unclear”.

It said it evacuated customers from the hotel amid “further reports of a raised level of illness among guests”.

Mr Cooper, 69, died in his room, while Mrs Cooper, 63, a Thomas Cook employee, died after being taken to of samples taken hospital, according to Mrs Ormerod.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We continue to support the family of a couple who died in Hurghada, Egypt, and remain in contact with Thomas Cook.”

Mrs Ormerod told Sky News: “They had no illness, no stomach upset, no vomiting, no illness – they were in perfect health when they went to bed.

She said at around 11am they hadn’t appeared so she knocked on their door. “They said they were extremely ill and needed help. I watched them die before my eyes and they had exactly the same symptoms.

“I believe something suspicious has gone on.”

Alison Cope, 44, from Moseley, Birmingham, who was among those hotel guests who decided to fly home, said five out of seven of her party have been ill for around 10 days.

She said: “The food is just disgusting, it’s undercooked. I know so many people have been ill.”