In August 2018, a British couple from Burnley, Lancashire, experienced a fatal incident while vacationing at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in Hurghada, Egypt.
The sudden illness and subsequent death of the couple, John Cooper, 69, and Susan Cooper, 63, have become a subject of intense scrutiny and investigation.
Their room at the hotel was adjacent to another that had been fumigated for bedbugs using an insecticide named Lambda. This information emerged during the inquest into their deaths. The fumigation occurred just a day before the Coopers were found severely ill.
The death of the couple prompted the travel company Thomas Cook to evacuate hundred of guests from the hotel as a safety precaution.
An important detail that came to light during the inquest is the presence of an adjoining, locked door between the Coopers’ room and the fumigated room. A German tourist had previously reported a bed bug infestation in the neighboring room, which led to the fumigation procedure. The pesticide, Lambda, is known to be harmful if inhaled in significant quantities.
According to The Guardian, the couple was on a trip with their daughter Kelly Ormerod, three grandchildren, and friends. Ormerod’s daughter, Molly, 12, was sleeping on a single bed in her grandparents’ room. She later said that she detected what she described as a “yeasty smell.”
In the middle of the night, Molly complained she was feeling sick, leading John Cooper to move her to her mother’s room.
In the morning, Ormerod went to see how her parents were doing and found them both severely ill.
Initial investigations into the couple’s death did not reveal evidence of carbon monoxide poisoning or food poisoning, typical suspects in such cases. However, further examination raised the possibility that the couple might have been exposed to toxic chemicals from fumigation. A pathologist found carbon monoxide in their blood samples, which raised questions about the exact cause of death.
There is also speculation that the pesticide might have been mixed with dichlorvos, a second toxic chemical banned in the UK, as suggested by the evidence presented during the inquest. This potential mixing of chemicals could have exacerbated the toxicity of the exposure.
The Coopers had been in good health prior to their stay at the Egyptian resort. Their sudden illness, characterized by acute vomiting and diarrhea, followed by heart failure, was unexpected and raised concerns about the safety standards and procedures followed during the fumigation process. Witnesses at the inquest, including other guests at the hotel, provided accounts of the events and the conditions surrounding the fumigated room.
