The Steigenberger Aqua Magic in Egypt is under investigation by the Red Sea Governor's office after the authorities confirmed there was an unusual smell in their hotel room.
Reuters reported that John Cooper, 69, and his wife Susan Cooper, 63, passed away while on a holiday with their family. An initial 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.
Recent reports suggest that the ventilation system could have been a contributing factor to their deaths.
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The Guardian reports that Maj Gen Ahmed Abdullah, the Red Sea governor, told reporters in Hurghada “there was a strange odour in the room” where John Cooper, and his wife Susan, fell ill.
The room has been sealed off while a committee of specialists investigates the ventilation and air conditioning systems.
Besides the deaths of the couple, Sky News reports that 13 other customers at the hotel had food poisoning. The hotel told The Associated Press in an email that there was no increased level of illness there and attributed the couple's deaths to "natural causes."
Thomas Cook said it had last audited the hotel in late July and it had received an overall score of 96% however the company has brought in experts to test food, water, and air conditioning systems at the hotel.