Couple ill, 2 children dead after holiday 'poisoning'

CORFU, Greece - A British man and his partner came out of a coma on Friday but their condition was still critical a day after they were found with the man's two children dead in their hotel room on the Greek island of Corfu.

"They are not in a coma at the moment but the danger to their lives has not yet been removed," Corfu Hospital Director Yannis Mantzaropoulos told reporters. "With enormous efforts by our medical and nursing staff their condition today has improved."

Mantzaropoulos said the parents of the woman had arrived from Britain and were at the hospital.

A pathologist was to carry out an autopsy later in the day to discover the cause of death of the girl, 7, and her six-year-old brother. Doctors said first indications showed there was some kind of poisoning.

"The results will be known a few hours," Mantzaropoulos said, adding the two adults could now be moved to another hospital.

"They are in a condition that allows them to be moved if something like that is requested.

Toxicology tests to determine the specific cause of death will be run after the autopsies, police said.

Neil Shepherd, his children Christianne and Robert and his partner Ruth Beatson, from West Yorkshire, were found in their room early on Thursday by a maid at the four-star beachfront hotel on the Ionian Sea island, popular with British tourists.

Greek Public Order Minister Byron Polidoras assured British ambassador Simon Gass there would be a thorough investigation, a ministry source said.

"Polidoras also said that should the embassy like to appoint some medical expert to take part in the investigation it could do so," the source said.

The island's police chief said a special technical unit was checking their hotel bungalow to determine if the deaths were caused by some gas leak or other technical malfunction.

"Engineers are investigating all installations in the room and their work is not yet completed," Police Chief Anastasios Kakaroungas said.

A hotel company source ruled out food poisoning in the hotel. "It looks like a serious consumption of a toxic poison. Food poisoning is out of the picture," the source said. "There are 500 guests at the hotel right now and they are all fine."

"There was no sign of forced entry into the room nor was there a 'do not disturb sign' on the door," the source added.

- REUTERS