The bodies of two Russian tourists who died as a result of poisoning with an unknown substance at Karaman Palace Hotel in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, were sent home, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Uzbekistan said.
A forensic examination is to be conducted to establish the exact cause of death of the travelers.
On the evening of October 20, hotel staff found the bodies of two Russians in their room. They were identified as journalist Inessa Papernaya and her friend Maxim Radchenko. The body of another guest, a citizen of Uzbekistan, was found in the bathroom of the room next door.
It is believed that the tourists died as a result of exposure to swamp gas (methane). This gas is formed as organic matter gets decomposed in the water. The gas could have gotten into the ventilation system after employees cleaned the hotel pool.
The doctors who arrived at the scene said that the cause of the tourists died as a result of "poisoning of unknown etiology.”