AN EU investigation into the deaths of two Irish tourists from carbon-monoxide poisoning in Spain has described as "inadequate" the response of the Spanish government and the Spanish ombudsman to its inquiries.
The European Parliament's Committee on Petitions met yesterday to discuss the Commission's investigation into the deaths of four tourists by carbon monoxide poisoning in Spanish resorts, including an Irish couple, Mr Vincent Tansey, and his wife, Patricia.
The committee heard a report from two senior officers in the European Commission, including one who had gone to Tenerife to investigate the Tansey case.
Initial indications from this report are that carbon-monoxide poisoning is far more widespread in Europe than originally thought, although cases continue to be under-reported or misreported in some countries. The committee also received an independent report compiled on behalf of relatives of the victims.
Ms Mary Banotti MEP, a member of the committee, said it would be contacting the Spanish authorities again in an effort to obtain further information on the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the Tanseys and the other victims.
Three tourists, including the Tanseys, died within months of each other in 1994 at the same apartment complex in Tenerife, the Parque Santiago in Playa de Las Americas. Mr Tansey (69) died from carbon-monoxide poisoning after faulty ventilation led to a build-up of the gas from a water heater in April 1994. Mrs, Tansey (70) fell into a coma as a result of gas poisoning, from which she never recovered.
The third victim was a British tourist, Mr Tony Martin, who died in March 1994 from carbon monoxide poisoning at Parque Santiago.
The committee also heard a petition from a Dublin man, Mr Kevin Hynes, whose wife, Margaret, collapsed in the same apartment complex on the same day that Mr Tansey died.
She was hospitalised for the duration of their stay, but it was only when the couple returned to Ireland that they realised that Mrs Hynes's collapse could have been caused by carbon-monoxide poisoning.
Ms Katie Neal, another British tourist whose case was discussed yesterday, died in April 1992 at the Santa Ponsa Apartments, Majorca.
The Tanseys' sons, Mr Ken Tansey and Mr Eugene Tansey, attended the hearing to learn of progress on their petition for a European monitoring system for incidents of carbon-monoxide poisoning. They are also currently engaged in court proceedings in Spain against four defendants, including the Spanish Department of Trade and Industry.
"We are pushing for a reporting and monitoring system so we can quantify the problem," Mr Ken Tansey said. While the main impetus behind the call is the deaths of their parents, they are seeking safety guidelines which would cover not only gas installations but also other areas of concern, including swimming pool design and safety following the deaths of a number of young children in holiday drowning accidents.
"As a petition, it has raised enormous issues that go far beyond the tragic death of the Tanseys," Ms Banotti said.