The inquest into the deaths of two British children who died from carbon monoxide poisoning while on holiday in Corfu has heard that the boiler responsible was 'bodged and botched' by British standards. Christi and Bobby Shepherd, aged seven and six, died in October 2006 at the Louis Corcyra Beach hotel.
David Hinchliff, the coroner for Wakefield, described the incident as 'the most appalling tragedy' as the inquest opened more than eight years after the deaths. The children, from Horbury, West Yorkshire, had been feeling unwell the day before they were found dead by a cleaner.
The court heard that the family had initially been offered a room in the main hotel block but were later allocated a semi-detached bungalow. On 25 October, the children began to feel unwell, with Bobby appearing dizzy and Christi vomiting. The adults, Neil Shepherd and his partner Ruth, also fell ill and were found in a coma the next day.
Heating engineer Thomas Magner told the inquest that the boiler, housed in an outbuilding, had no flue to vent fumes outside. He said gaps in the walls allowed lethal carbon monoxide to enter the ceiling space above the children's beds. Magner also stated that a safety cut-off device had been deliberately short-circuited, likely by hotel staff after complaints about hot water from the adjacent bungalow.
The inquest, expected to last at least two weeks, continues.
