Daughter of Burnley couple who died in Egypt appealing for answers two weeks after their deaths

The daughter of the Burnley couple, who died while on holiday in Egypt, has spoken of her anguish at not knowing how they died almost two weeks after their deaths.
The daughter of Burnley couple John and Susan Cooper has spoken of her devastation at still not knowing how they died two weeks after their deaths.The daughter of Burnley couple John and Susan Cooper has spoken of her devastation at still not knowing how they died two weeks after their deaths.
The daughter of Burnley couple John and Susan Cooper has spoken of her devastation at still not knowing how they died two weeks after their deaths.

In a moving interview, devastated Kelly Ormerod, whose parents John and Susan Cooper, died in the resort of Hurghada, said she just wanted to find out how they died and "bring them home."

She said: "It has been two weeks now and I am still no nearer finding out how they died.

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"But I know that if we had not gone on that holiday they would still be here today."

Speaking to Granada Reports Kelly said she was expecting the post mortem results yesterday but this has now been put back to tomorrow, leaving her devastated.

She said: "I have no idea what is going in Egypt, to be honest, but I thought that by now I would have some answers and I could bring mum and dad home."

Kelly was holidaying with her parents and her three children at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel when they noticed a strange odour in the room where John and Susan were staying the night before they died.

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They sprayed perfume to try and get rid of it but the next morning Kelly found her parents gravely ill in the room when she went to find them after they failed to turn up for breakfast. John died in the room and his wife died in hospital a few hours later.

Kelly said she believed that "crucial evidence" may have been lost after the tragedy as the room was not sealed off immediately.

She said: "The room was not sealed off for at least two days and before that it had been thoroughly cleaned, floors mopped and bedding changed and the air conditioning system seemed a lot crisper."

Kelly said that the news yesterday that tests carried out at the hotel identified a high level of e-coli and staphylococcus bacteria, still did not give her any answers as to why her parents died.

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She added: "They were fit and healthy before we went on that holiday and I believe there was something in that room that caused their deaths."

Kelly has been inundated with messages of sympathy and support after posting her hopes for answers to the tragedy on social media.

Travel operator Thomas Cook commissioned an independent hygiene specialist and air quality specialist to conduct a series of tests which came back clear apart frm identifying high levels of e-coli..

However, the specialists were unable to access the Cooper’s hotel room, which has remained under the control of the Egyptian authorities due to their ongoing investigation.

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The preliminary results have been reviewed by an independent expert, Doctor Vanya Gant, the Consultant and Divisional Clinical Director in Microbiology and Infection, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

A spokesman for Thomas Cook said: "We have shared these findings with the Cooper family, the Egyptian authorities and the Deutsche Hospitality group which has a franchise agreement with the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel.

"It is clear from these results that something went wrong in August at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in Hurghada and that standards fell below what we expect from our hotel partners.

"This is also supported by a review that we have conducted of our customer satisfaction scores, which fell sharply during this month.

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"It is likely that the presence of e-coli and staphylococcus would explain the raised level of illness reported among guests at the hotel during this time, supporting Thomas Cook’s decision to remove our 300 customers.

"However, neither our independent specialists nor Doctor Vanya Gant believe that these results shed any light on the still unexplained cause of death of Mr and Mrs Cooper.

"We await the results of the autopsies being conducted by the Egyptian authorities."