Egypt denies organ theft after British tourist’s death

Second post-mortem ordered by a UK coroner discovers that body of David Humphries, who died at Egypt resort, was missing heart and some other organs

Illustrative: People enter Cairo, Egypt's central morgue Feb. 4, 2016. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
Illustrative: People enter Cairo, Egypt's central morgue Feb. 4, 2016. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

CAIRO — Egyptian authorities on Sunday denied reports of alleged organ theft after the body of a British tourist who died suddenly while on holiday was returned home without some organs.

David Humphries, 62, died in the seaside resort of Hurghada on the shores of the Red Sea on September 18.

His body was returned to the UK where a second post-mortem ordered by a coroner discovered that his heart and some other organs had been removed, a British media outlet said in a report.

Accusing the UK media of publishing “flawed reports”, the Egyptian state information service (SIS) said allegations of “organ theft are unfounded”.

The statement said that samples were taken and the heart, parts of the liver, kidneys and other organs had been removed in order to establish the cause of death. It did not give an explanation as to why they had not been replaced.

The service said the tourist had probably died of a heart attack, citing the medical report.

It also quoted his daughter Anita Goodall as saying that she did “not accuse anyone of having a hand in the death of her father.”

In another case in Hurghada on August 21, travel operator Thomas Cook moved all its clients to another hotel after a British couple died in what their daughter called “suspicious” circumstances.

Egyptian authorities say John and Susan Cooper, who fell ill and died suddenly while staying at the five-star Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel in the resort, succumbed to the effects of an E. coli infection.

Most Popular
read more:
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.