Aug. 25 (UPI) — Investigators are looking into the deaths of two British tourists at an Egyptian resort, but officials say so far there’s no evidence they succumbed to carbon monoxide.
John Cooper, 69, and wife Susan, 63, became ill and died this week at the Steingenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in Hurghada, about 280 miles south of Cairo.
In a precautionary response, British travel company Thomas Cook pulled more than 300 of its customers from the hotel after an increase in the number of illnesses there.
Carbon monoxide poisoning was reported as a possible factor, but Thomas Cook said there’s so far no evidence indicating that.
“We are aware of the speculation in some of today’s media that their deaths may have been caused by carbon monoxide poisoning,” Thomas Cook said in a statement. “Currently we have no evidence to support this.”
Hurghada Gov. Ahmed Abdallah dismissed suggestions that the Coopers’ deaths were accidental.
“The husband fell sick and was taken to hospital, where he died. About three hours later his wife had a shock and died,” Abdallah said.
The Coopers were traveling with their daughter, who said she thinks a faulty air conditioner may have been the cause.
“What I want is to clear up some of what is being reported. We have no cause of death. A post-mortem is underway,” she said in a radio interview. “Dad never went to hospital. He died in the hotel room in front of me. I went to hospital in the ambulance with Mum, where she passed away.”
