Two Children Die at Lois Corcyra Beach Hotel
Stewart PerryIt appears that an error while installing and maintaining a gas boiler caused a carbon monoxide leak at a popular Greek hotel. This error led to the death of two children. The kids, Christianne Shepherd, seven, and her six-year-old brother Robert, were from West Yorkshire and were on vacation with their parents in Corfu, Greece back in October of 2006 when the event occurred.
The parents of the two kids, Neil and Ruther Shepherd, both fell into a coma due to the carbon monoxide leak. The two had to be admitted to a hospital but were able to survive the poisoning. Richard Carson and Nicola Gibson, who worked for Thomas Cook at the time of the incident, now have to appear in a Corfu Town courthouse to face charges of manslaughter and negligence.
The two are being accused of causing manslaughter by negligence in relation to the children and by causing bodily injury by negligence to the parents. Harry Rogers, a retired mechanical engineer, who investigated the Lousi Corcyra Beach Hotel said that the leak was caused by a wired out gas valve, a bypassed thermostat, the lack of a flue and chimneym, and a gap between the family’s bungalow and the outhouse where the boiler was.
The mechanical engineer went on to describe the boiler as being in a very distressed state and that parts were missing. The parts that should have been fitted were on the floor. He also said that the concentration of less than 1 percent of carbon monoxide in the air can be fatal within minutes.
When he was asked if Thomas Cook was to blame for the boiler he said that he did not know how a tour operator operates. However, he said that any reasonable person that had any knowledge of a boiler could see that there was something wrong with it.
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Filed under Health & Environment, Hotel Chains, Travel News