Fumes hotel ordered to close down

A faulty boiler has been blamed for the children's' deaths

The hotel in Corfu where two children died from carbon monoxide poisioning has been closed by Greek government ministers.

The Corcyra Hotel had its licence revoked in October when Christi Shepherd, seven, and her brother Bobby, from Horbury, West Yorkshire, died.

Gas had been emitted from a faulty boiler and air-conditioning unit.

The hotel was supposed to remain shut while investigations were carried out, but had reopened for the Easter break.

Overcome by fumes

On Thursday tourism development minister Fanny Palli-Petralia ordered the hotel to close immediately.

It had been shut so that allegations of negligence at the hotel could be investigated.

Christi and Bobby had been on holiday with their father Neil Shepherd and his partner Ruth Beatson when all four were overcome by carbon monoxide fumes.

The hotel is owned by the Louis Group, which also owns the cruise liner which sank off the island of Santorini last week.