The daughter of a British couple who were killed by e.coli at a hotel in Egypt has dismissed the findings of forensic tests as “absolute rubbish”.
Kelly Ormerod, who was on holiday with her parents when they died, said Home Office post-mortem examinations would take place in the UK on the bodies of John Cooper, 69, and Susan Cooper, 63.
The couple, from Burnley in Lancashire, died at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in Hurghada, Egypt, on August 21.
Egypt’s general prosecutor, Nabil Sadek, on Wednesday confirmed they died from e.coli.
Forensic tests showed John Cooper suffered acute intestinal dysentry as a result of the bug, and Susan Cooper died from a complication thought to be linked to the bacteria.
Egypt’s minister of tourism, Rania Al-Mashat, said: “The causes of death, e.coli bacteria, were medically determined by a team of internationally accredited pathologists, which I hope for the family’s sake will put an end to previous speculative suggestions of what might have happened.”
But Ormerod, who said she had no faith in the Egyptian authorities, told the BBC she did not know which tests were carried out, adding that the brief report she saw “from the media” was not sent to her.
She said that authorities were aware of the “very negative effect” her parents’ deaths is having on tourism to the country as she suggested they “don’t want to tell the truth”.
Ormerod, 40, said: “I have not seen evidence or facts of any e.coli.
“Thomas Cook put a report out that there were high levels of e.coli at the hotel. Whether the Egyptians have honed in on that, I have no idea.
“But anybody can Google what e.coli symptoms are and the progression of e.coli and it does not kill you within a matter of hours.”
The mother-of-three added: “They are either stuck for answers or don’t want to tell the truth.
“There’s definitely going to be Home Office post-mortems over here. That’s scheduled for tomorrow, but they can’t say a hundred percent it will be tomorrow.”
Ormerod said her parents were “fit and healthy” before they died.
Tour operator Thomas Cook found a high level of e.coli at the hotel after independent tests were carried out on food, air and water.
The firm moved 300 guests out of the hotel 24 hours after the deaths as a precaution, following reports of a “raised level of illness”.
Most types of the Escherichia coli bacteria are harmless but some can cause food poisoning and serious infection.
A spokesman for Thomas Cook said it had not seen the full report and would need time for experts to review it.
A statement read: “Thomas Cook notes the announcement today by the Egyptian prosecutor on the results of the autopsies of John and Susan Cooper following their deaths at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic in Hurghada on August 21 2018.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of John and Susan Cooper. We will continue to offer every support to their daughter Kelly and the rest of their family.”