In August 2018, a British couple from Burnley, Lancashire, experienced a fatal incident while vacationing at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in Hurghada, Egypt. John Cooper, 69, and Susan Cooper, 63, succumbed to a sudden and severe illness.
This incident triggered a thorough investigation. Notably, the couple’s hotel room was next to a room treated with a bedbug fumigant, Lambda, just a day before the couple’s critical condition was discovered.
The deaths led the Thomas Cook travel company to evacuate numerous guests from the hotel. During the inquest, it was found that there was a connecting door between the Coopers’ room and the treated room. The fumigation followed a bed bug report by a German tourist.
Accompanied by their daughter, grandchildren, and friends, the Coopers’ trip turned tragic. Their 12-year-old granddaughter, Molly, who was with them in the room, reported a peculiar smell and later felt sick, resulting in her being moved to her mother’s room. Her mother found the elderly couple extremely ill the next morning.
Initial probes into the deaths didn’t show signs of carbon monoxide or food poisoning. Subsequent analyses suggested possible exposure to toxic chemicals from the fumigation. The discovery of carbon monoxide in their blood further complicated the case.
There’s a theory that the Lambda pesticide was mixed with dichlorvos, a second harmful chemical banned in the UK. This mix could have made the exposure more deadly. The couple was in robust health prior to the incident. Their rapid onset of severe symptoms, culminating in heart failure, raised alarms about the fumigation’s safety. Other guests’ accounts at the hotel added to the inquest’s findings on November 7. Another hearing is scheduled for November 15.