Authorities suspend permit at death hotel

Greek authorities today suspended the permit of an island hotel where two British children died of gas poisoning last week.

Tourism minister Fanni Palli-Petralia said the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel on the north-eastern resort island of Corfu would lose its permit permanently if an ongoing police investigation found hotel officials were responsible for the deaths.

“We will not put up with incidents that blacken the image of Greece’s tourism industry and bring our country into disrepute,” Palli-Petralia said.

“Those responsible will be punished.”

Seven-year-old Christianne and her brother, Robert (aged six), were found dead last Thursday – alongside their comatose father, Neil Shepherd, 38, and his partner, Ruth-Emy Beatson, 28 – in their bungalow at the luxury seaside resort in Gouvia, where they had arrived for a week-long holiday.

The two adults have since recovered.

Greek authorities said the children died after inhaling poisonous carbon monoxide that leaked into their bungalow from an apparently malfunctioning boiler.

In a statement today, the hotel – which closed for the season on today - expressed “the deepest regret” for the deaths and pledged to fully cooperate with the investigation.