Thomas Cook evacuates 300 from Egyptian hotel after couple's deaths
LONDON/CAIRO, August 24: Britain’s Thomas Cook said it was evacuating all 301 of its customers from a hotel in Egypt’s popular Red Sea resort of Hurghada as a precautionary measure after two of its holidaymakers died in circumstances it said were still unclear.
Local officials said on Friday both deaths were from heart failure.
John Cooper, 69, and his wife Susan Cooper, a 63-year old who worked for the holiday company in Britain, were staying at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel and died within hours of each other on Tuesday.
Thomas Cook said it had received further reports of illness among guests at the hotel, without elaborating.
“Safety is always our first priority, so as a precautionary measure we have taken a decision to remove all our customers from this hotel,” the company said.
The hotel said there had not been a rise in cases of illness.The incident comes as Egypt is trying to revive tourism, a crucial source of income, while the economy is still struggling from the years of turmoil that followed a 2011 popular uprising.
A statement from the Red Sea provincial governor’s office, entitled “normal death of an English old man and his wife”, said both had died of heart failure.
John Cooper suffered a “circulatory collapse” and died at the hotel. Susan Cooper was taken to hospital after fainting and died there, it said.
The couple’s daughter Kelly Ormerod, who was on the same holiday along with her three children, said the cause of death had not been established.
“Mum and Dad were fit and healthy, they had no known health problems,” she said in a statement to British local radio station 2BR. “We have no cause of death, a post mortem is underway.
“Dad never went to hospital, he died in the hotel room in front of me. I went to hospital in the ambulance with mum where she passed away,” she said.
The general manager of the Aqua Magic, which is a franchise of Frankfurt-based Deutsche Hospitality, said the hotel was deeply saddened.
“The doctor’s preliminary report indicates that death was due to natural causes,” Dieter Geiger said in a statement. “There are no indications to support allegations of an increased incidence of illness at the hotel.”
Thomas Cook said it would offer customers alternative hotels in the resort or the option to fly back to Britain later on Friday.
The company said it had last audited the hotel in late July and it had received an overall score of 96 percent.
A spokeswoman for the British Foreign Office said: “We continue to support the family of a couple who died in Hurghada. Anyone staying at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel should follow the advice of their tour operator and the local authorities.”
After the bombing of a Russian passenger jet flying from Sharm el-Sheikh in the Sinai Peninsula in 2015, Egypt-bound flights from Russia were halted for more than two years, hurting Egyptian tourism revenues.
Revenues have improved in recent months, however, jumping 83 percent in the first quarter of 2018 to $2.2 billion.
Red Sea resorts such as Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh are among the most popular among European and other holidaymakers.
Courtesy: www.reuters.com
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'Fighting Indian State itself' remark: Sambhal court asks Rahul Gandhi to reply by May 7
Sambhal (UP), Apr 4 (PTI): A court in Sambhal on Friday directed Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to file his reply by May 7 over his controversial remarks about "fighting the Indian State itself".
During the inauguration of the Congress' new headquarters in Delhi on January 15, Gandhi alleged that the BJP and the RSS have captured every institution of the country and said, "We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian State itself."
Hindu Shakti Dal national president Simran Gupta moved the application before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (Special MP-MLA Court) at Chandausi in Sambhal, her lawyer earlier said.
Speaking to PTI, Gupta said, "On January 15, Leader of Opposition (in the Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi, during the inauguration of the Congress' new headquarters in Delhi, had said that 'our fight is not only with the RSS and the BJP but also with India'."
This comment demonstrates disrespect towards the citizens and democracy of the country, the Hindu Shakti Dal chief said.
"It mocks the people and poses a threat to the unity and integrity of India. This statement has hurt the sentiments of people across the country, due to which I first complained to the District Magistrate of Sambhal, SP Sambhal and others.
"But, my complaint was not heard, so I filed a case against Rahul Gandhi on January 23 in Chandausi Court, Sambhal. The court had asked Rahul Gandhi to appear on April 4. Today, the court has issued a notice and asked him to file a reply in this matter by May 7," Gupta said.
The Hindu Shakti Dal chief's lawyer Sachin Goyal told PTI, "Simran Gupta had filed a case against Rahul Gandhi in the court in which the Additional District and Sessions Judge Nirbhay Narain Rai, while accepting the case, had issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi (on March 20) and directed him to appear on April 4 or file his reply. Today, the court has given the date of May 7 in this case and directed that Rahul Gandhi should file his reply by May 7."
