Thomas Cook takes its guests out of Egypt hotel after 2 died

AP  |  Cairo 

is evacuating all of its customers from a hotel in Egypt's resort of after two Britons died there this week under unclear circumstances.

The move came after John and Susan Cooper, from in northern England, died while staying at the

They were on a holiday with other family members.

Their daughter, Kelly Ormerod, was with her parents and her three children when tragedy struck.

John Cooper, 69, died in his hotel room while her 63-year-old mother, a employee, was taken to hospital, Ormerod said from

"As a family we are devastated. Mum and Dad meant the world to me and the children, and we are in utter shock over what has happened and what is happening," Ormerod told the Lancashire-based radio station

"Prior to going on holiday, Mum and Dad were fit and healthy. They had no health problems at all."

said in a statement on yesterday that the "circumstances of their deaths are still unclear" and that it has "also received further reports of a raised level of illness among guests."

The decision to evacuate 301 holiday makers from the is a "precautionary measure," the company said, adding that the guests, of various nationalities, will be offered alternative hotels or the option to return home.

"We continue to work closely with the hotel and are supporting the authorities with their investigations," it said.

Customers due to arrive in the hotel in the next four weeks will be offered alternative options.

The Steigenberger Aqua Magic was last audited by Thomas Cook in July and received an overall score of 96 per cent.

Speculation over the couple's death swirled in the media today, with some suggesting carbon monoxide poisoning may have been a cause.

A later statement by Thomas Cook said that while the company was "aware" of the speculation, there was "no evidence to support this."

An Egyptian told that an investigation was still underway but that the deaths were likely due to "natural causes."

He said the prosecution today ordered autopsies after the Coopers' daughter requested blood analysis to further look into reasons behind their deaths.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the case, said the Cooper family had spent seven out of their 10-day vacation in the hotel when the deaths occurred.

The hotel at the time was housing some 550 British holidaymakers as well as German, Italian and Belgian tourists, he added.

Today, an statement by the governorate was posted on Facebook, saying a forensic examination of John Cooper, who died on Tuesday, revealed he had suffered acute circulatory collapse and a sudden cardiac arrest.

It also said was later rushed to hospital after fainting and underwent resuscitation attempts for 30 minutes but died.

The statement dismissed criminal motives as being behind the deaths. Legal procedures would be underway for the transfer of the bodies upon the conclusion of the autopsy, it added.

has gone to great lengths to revive its vital tourism industry, decimated by years of political turmoil following the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat

The government has been trying to lure tourists back by touting new archaeological discoveries and boosting security around historical sites.

The lucrative sector was dealt a severe blow after a bombing by the Islamic State group brought down a Russian passenger plane over the Peninsula in 2015, killing all 224 people on board. subsequently imposed a two-year-ban on all flights with

Russian flights to resumed earlier this year but flights to resort cities have yet to be decided.

Britain, another major source of visitors to Egypt, suspended flights to Sharm el-Sheikh, a popular resort in from which the doomed Russian airliner took off shortly before it crashed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Fri, August 24 2018. 19:35 IST