AN OXFORD family have said they are among the tourists who suffered food poisoning at the Egyptian hotel where a British couple died this week.
Paul and Bev Vanstone say they were served raw chicken and were stuck down with salmonella poisoning at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic hotel.
The couple were on holiday at the Hurghada resort with their two children and Mr Vanstone's mother when four of them came down with stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea.
It is the same hotel where John and Susan Cooper, both 64, died on Tuesday during a Thomas Cook 'holiday of a lifetime'.
The travel company has since removed all its guests from the hotel as a precaution.
Mr Vanstone, 41, shared photos showing raw, pink chicken he claims he was served at the hotel.
He said: "There was a party of six of us that went. My wife was treated for gastroenteritis, my 14-year-old daughter went down with a vomiting and diarrhoea bug and two days before leaving I had really bad stomach cramps and diarrhoea.
The raw chicken Mr Vanstone says he was served at the hotel. Pictures from the couple's Facebook pages.
"While we were there we had to complain because we were served raw chicken. I ate that but if that had been my daughter... It was raw - very, very raw."
The dad-of-two said he arrived home in Oxford on August 6 and went to the doctor where he was diagnosed with high levels of salmonella poisoning.
He later lodged a complaint with Thomas Cook, but said the doctor was unable to confirm exactly what made them all ill.
Mrs Vanstone in hospital. Pictures from the couple's Facebook pages.
Mr Vanstone added: "It could be chicken, it could have been the water, it could have been anything that you can get salmonella from."
Thomas Cook said that the circumstances of Mr and Mrs Cooper's deaths were still unclear.
The couple, from Burnley, were on holiday with their daughter Kelly and her three children.
I loved staying at The Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel. I wish i could go back ❤️ pic.twitter.com/bFzwoZWReR
— MOLLY🌻 (@LUXLIKESIDEMEN) October 26, 2016
A tweet two years ago from one happy customer at the Aqua Magic shows its beautiful blue swimming pool.
Mr Cooper, a builder, died in a hotel room while his wife, a Thomas Cook employee, was taken to hospital in an ambulance where she died several hours later.
A Thomas Cook spokesman said: "We are deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of two of our customers.
"The circumstances of their deaths are still unclear. We have also received further reports of a raised level of illness among guests.
Please see the latest update on the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in Hurghada: https://t.co/FQIFkrYFSa
— Thomas Cook (@ThomasCookUK) August 24, 2018
"Safety is always our first priority, so as a precautionary measure we have taken a decision to remove all our customers from this hotel.
"We continue to work closely with the hotel and are supporting the authorities with their investigations."
Dieter Geiger, general manager of the Aqua Magic hotel, said he and his staff were 'deeply saddened' by Mr and Mrs Cooper's deaths.
He went on: "In such a circumstance, very little can be said that will help. This makes it even more important to stick to the facts.
"The doctor’s preliminary report indicates that death was due to natural causes. There are no indications to support allegations of an increased incidence of illness at the hotel.
"Such rash speculations should urgently be put aside out of respect for the family members of the deceased persons and for other guests."
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