Snorkel dad’s holiday tragedy

A FATHER of two died of heart problems while snorkelling in the sea at an Egyptian resort, an inquest has ruled.

Ashok Kumar Chauhan (54), of Ashworth Close, Chadderton, was on an excursion with his brother-in-law and niece at Sharm el Sheikh when his family saw he hadn’t surfaced.

Mr Chauhan was fished from the sea and pronounced dead later that day, August 28 2014.

An initial cause of death was given by the Egyptian authorities as drowning, but at Friday’s inquest in Heywood, histologist Dr Brian Benatar said there was no evidence of this and noted bronchial pneumonia and inflammation of the heart muscle as the true causes of death.

Dr Benatar said that Mr Chauhan could have been doing anything and he would have experienced a blackout and died very quickly.

He said: “Swimming underwater is immaterial. He could have been walking on the beach and he would have collapsed.”

Assistant coroner Lisa Hashmi recorded a verdict of natural causes.