Tragedy father to learn of deaths

Neil Shepherd has not been told about the deaths of his children

Greek police are waiting to tell a UK tourist that his two children have died of suspected gas poisoning.

Neil Shepherd and his partner Ruth Beatson have regained consciousness, but doctors say they are not well enough to receive the news.

A cleaner found the family in a hotel room in Corfu on Thursday. Robert, six, and his sister Christianne, seven, were dead and the adults were in a coma.

Police may have to wait for three weeks for the results of toxicology tests.

A post-mortem examination on the children was carried out on Friday.

The children's natural mother, Sharon Wood, was taken to see their bodies in the island's morgue on Saturday.

Consciousness

Dr Stephanos Gasteratos, Corfu hospital's pathologist, said the cause of death was a strong poisoning, but it was most likely not to have been food poisoning.

There is speculation that a carbon monoxide leak has caused the deaths.

Doctors, who have decided not to tell the couple about the deaths for the time being, say police will not be able to interview them until psychologists give the go ahead.

Earlier, the two children were described as "gorgeous" by family members.

Ms Beatson's mother, Helen, said: "They were gorgeous children. That's all we want to say."

Her father, Stephen, told reporters the family had "absolutely no idea what had happened".

The pair flew to the Greek island on Friday to be at their daughter's bedside.

After they arrived, 27-year-old Ms Beatson regained consciousness and managed to smile - although she has not yet spoken to anyone.

Mr Shepherd, 38, who is separated from the children's biological mother, has also regained consciousness.

Coma

On Thursday morning, a cleaner at the hotel in the village of Gouvia discovered the two children dead in their room, and Ms Beatson and Mr Shepherd unconscious.

The couple, from Horbury near Wakefield, were thought to be in a coma and were taken to Corfu General Hospital.

The two adults are said to be 'on the road to recovery'

The police investigation is now focused on the possibility the family could have been poisoned by a gas leak.

On Friday afternoon, engineers examined air conditioning, boiler systems and a water heater at the hotel.

A pathologist at the hospital told reporters that he suspected the family had ingested a "powerful poison".

The children lived with their biological mother in Horbury. She flew out to the island with her new husband on Thursday when they were told of the deaths.

The family had been taking a week's holiday for the school half-term break.

'Not food'

Thomas Cook, the company they were travelling with, said it was working closely with the hospital and the police to gain further information and to support the family.

BBC correspondent Luisa Baldini said Britons at the hotel had been queuing up to buy British newspapers to try to find out what has been happening.

Guests at the Louis Corcyra Hotel told how they recalled seeing Robert collapse at breakfast on Wednesday, and that the family had complained of feeling "woozy".

But the hotel strongly denied any possibility of food poisoning at the hotel, saying none of the other guests was taken ill.