A 24-year-old British woman, Ebony McIntosh, is the second person who has died while on holiday in Sri Lanka, with authorities investigating the possibility of pesticide poisoning. McIntosh, a digital marketing and social media manager from Derby, became seriously ill while staying at the Miracle Colombo City Hostel and was taken to a hospital in Colombo on February 1, 2025, where she later passed away.
Sri Lanka Police have confirmed that another tourist, 26-year-old German national Nadine Raguse, also died after falling critically ill in the same hostel. Officers are now investigating whether their deaths were caused by exposure to noxious pesticides used in fumigation.
According to police spokesperson Buddhika Manatunga, a room in the hostel had been treated for bed bugs before McIntosh and Raguse fell ill. Reports indicate an adjacent room was fumigated on January 30, 2025, with the chemical phosphine and sealed for 72 hours. Both women suffered from vomiting, nausea, and breathing difficulties before being taken to the hospital. The hostel has since been closed while the investigation continues.
The investigation is being led by Kollupitiya Police OIC Chief Inspector Dushmantha Liyanage and OIC of the Criminal Investigation Division Sub-Inspector Manathunga, with support from officers including Police Sergeant Wasantha and Police Constables Jayasinghe and Sudheera.
McIntosh had been sharing a room with Raguse and a German man when all three became ill. The man remains hospitalized and is responding to treatment, while Raguse later passed away from similar symptoms.
The Government Analyst’s Department will determine if the premises are safe before reopening. Officials from the Ministry of Health and a judicial medical officer are involved in the investigation.
A post-mortem examination is scheduled after McIntosh’s family arrives in Sri Lanka on February 10, 2025. Until then, her body will not be released.
Tributes have poured in for the young traveler, who friends described as “one of the kindest, funniest, and most determined people.” Her best friend wrote, “She had the biggest dreams, and she deserved to live them all.”
McIntosh’s sister, India, shared her devastation, writing: “To my Ebony, my beautiful sister, thank you, thank you for being my older sister, one better than I could’ve ever asked for. We will get justice for you; you had so much life left to live.”
McIntosh’s family called the ordeal a “nightmare” and started a GoFundMe campaign to bring her body home. Her sister, India, further expressed heartbreak over McIntosh’s pain, saying they “cannot even begin to imagine” her fear. She also shared that a hostel staff member was by McIntosh’s side in her final moments, something the family is “endlessly grateful” for.
The exact cause of death remains unconfirmed. A spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign Office stated they are “supporting the family” and coordinating with Sri Lankan authorities as the investigation continues.
This incident follows other cases of suspected poisoning abroad. Just weeks earlier, six tourists in Laos died from methanol poisoning after consuming contaminated vodka shots at a hostel. More recently, a British couple in Vietnam reportedly died from a methanol-laced limoncello delivered to their hotel.
Chandrika Patel, a friend of McIntosh’s mother, shared that the family is “completely devastated” and struggling with immense grief, describing her as the center of their world.