Couple died in Egypt after hotel room was treated for bed bugs

A Burnley couple died after suddenly falling ill due to carbon monoxide poisoning after staying in an Egyptian hotel room, an inquest heard.

However, experts can not say for certain if the poisonous gas was what led to the death of John Cooper, 63, and his wife Susan, 63. Blackburn Coroner's Court heard how the couple suddenly died on August 21, 2018 after falling ill while staying at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada.

A statement from a German tourist which was read at the inquest stated there had been a bed bug infestation in the room next door to the couple. The room was treated with a pesticide referred to as Lambda at lunchtime, with the Coopers falling ill in the early hours and passing away the next day, Lancs Live reports.

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While the two rooms had an adjoining door, this was reportedly kept locked. Professor Robert Chilcott, a toxicology expert, said he detected the presence of carbon monoxide in blood samples from the Coopers' bodies but could not be certain what the levels were bu that they were sufficient enough to suggest "severe exposure".

Home office Pathologist Dr Charles Wilson said: "What you have here is a situation whereby the trajectory of the Coopers’ deaths, the circumstances surrounding it, how that evolved is not compatible with natural disease. It is typical of something in the environment and carbon monoxide is a common environmental toxin. It shows lots of features I would expect to see in carbon monoxide poisoning.

“It’s exactly