U.K. tourist among 2 found dead at Sri Lankan hostel, police investigating

Two tourists person died aft suffering a fatal unwellness portion vacationing successful Sri Lanka. Both of the deceased stayed astatine the Miracle Colombo City Hostel successful the centre of Colombo, according to section media reports.

Ebony McIntosh, a 24-year-old British influencer, and Nadine Raguse, a 27-year-old German woman, became precise sick and were reportedly rushed to the infirmary to beryllium treated for vomiting, nausea and breathing difficulties connected Feb. 1, according to the reports.

Within hours of their accomplishment astatine the hospital, McIntosh and Raguse, who had the aforesaid symptoms, some died.

The nonstop origin of their decease has not been revealed astatine the clip of this writing. But reports suggest that McIntosh and Raguse whitethorn person suffered a imaginable chemic poisoning, arsenic the adjacent hostel country had been fumigated with phosphine, which is simply a deadly chemic utilized to termination bedbugs. The country had reportedly been sealed for 72 hours pursuing the attraction connected Jan. 30.

The Miracle Colombo City Hostel, wherever Raguse and McIntosh were said to person shared a room, has since been unopen down aft an exigency bid by section police.

Ebony’s sister, India McIntosh, posted a tribute to her connected societal media, writing, “To my Ebony, my beauteous sister, convey you, convey you for being my older sister, 1 amended than I could’ve ever asked for.”

“Thank you for guiding maine done these 20 years of my life, I americium truthful fortunate to person had you. Thank you for being my inspiration,” she continued. “Now I get to amusement everyone my BEAUTIFUL sister, your infectious grin and energy, your passionateness and drive, THATS MY SISTER!!!”

India added that she is “truly heartbroken” and that she “can’t judge I americium penning this, it feels similar immoderate nightmare one haven’t woke up from yet.”

“We volition get justness for you sis, you had truthful overmuch beingness near to live. You were conscionable 4 days into your months of travelling. So excited and blessed to spot the world. We’ll decorativeness your escapade for you Ebo, acknowledgment for giving america a large start,” she continued. “I’m truthful bittersweet you won’t beryllium present to spot america each done our beingness journeys and vice versa but we are endlessly arrogant of everything you accomplished, you were ever unapologetically yourself and did precisely what you wanted to do.”

India has besides launched a GoFundMe leafage to assistance her household question to Sri Lanka to bring Ebony’s assemblage location erstwhile the post-mortem introspection has been conducted. So acold implicit £44,000 (nearly C$65,373) of the £40,000 (nearly C$59,430) has been raised, arsenic of Feb. 6.

“We are perfectly heartbroken to stock that our beauteous babe miss and large sister Ebony has passed distant unexpectedly connected the Saturday 1st February 2025, thousands of miles distant from home,” India wrote connected behalf of their family. “Words cannot statesman to explicit however breached we are, it’s been similar a nightmare since we recovered retired connected Sunday morning, we person prayed and prayed that this can’t beryllium true. It couldn’t perchance hap to our beauteous Ebs.”

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In January, McIntosh flew from Heathrow Airport successful London to “follow her dreams of travelling each implicit South Asia, starting successful Sri Lanka,” according to the GoFundMe post.

“She was afloat of excitement for her adventures ahead, successful emblematic Ebony benignant she had spent months researching and readying and drafting up schedules for the coming months. Her travel was cruelly chopped abbreviated connected Saturday 1st February, erstwhile she took precise sick successful the hostel she was staying in,” the station continued. “Her and respective others were rushed to infirmary to beryllium treated for vomiting, nausea and successful Ebony’s case, trouble successful breathing.”

The fundraiser leafage said that McIntosh passed distant “within a fewer hours of arriving astatine the hospital, they couldn’t prevention our beauteous girl.”

“We cannot adjacent statesman to ideate however frightened she indispensable person felt astatine the clip and it hurts america truthful severely to deliberation of the symptom she was in. We request to beryllium with her and bring her location safely,” India added.

The station said that McIntosh “passed distant with idiosyncratic from the hostel beside her” and the household is grateful to the antheral who stayed with her during her past moments. No accusation astir Raguse has been released publicly, speech from her nationality, property and name.

“We person acceptable up a GoFundMe to rise wealth to get our household implicit to Sri Lanka to beryllium with our beauteous Ebony and bring her location wherever she belongs. The authorities successful Sri Lanka are not allowed to merchandise Ebony to america until a afloat Post Mortem has been completed. There is besides an ongoing probe due to the fact that of the tragic circumstances linked to however she died,” India wrote.

India said that their household cannot hold immoderate longer to spot McIntosh and they are raising the wealth to spell toward formation costs, edifice accommodation, exigency passports, vaccinations, visas and ceremonial services.

“We request to beryllium with our beauteous Ebony arsenic soon arsenic possible, we hatred the thought of her being unsocial successful a overseas country. We privation to beryllium capable to bring her backmost location safely to rest. We conscionable request to look aft our angel,” the station concluded.